The purpose of the Microscopy Stage Chamber is to facilitate and improve the process of imaging the lung of a rat. Current methods, performed while the lung is still in the body, are ineffective and prevent the lung from being manipulated to provide the best possible image. The proposed chamber allows for the lung to be completely removed from the body and placed under a microscope in such a way as having a clear, stable view of the lung’s surface. To be a viable alternative to current methods, the chamber must be able to mimic the conditions of the body by connecting the specimen to a perfusion system. This is accomplished by pumping a saline solution as a substitute to blood, and by providing appropriate air pressure through the trachea.
In addition to having a clear view of the lung, it is important to minimize any movement during the entire imaging process in order to create an accurate representation of the specimen. Configurable clamping arms, referred to as “helper hands,” are incorporated into the design to hold the tubes used in the perfusion system and stabilize against any vibrations generated by the perfusion system’s pump and any external vibrations for the microscope enclosure. For increased protection, the chamber is placed on rubber pads that generously provide more resistance against any movement.
In order to maximize the vitality of the lung during the process, the chamber has a drainage system that allows for the lung to be submerged in culture medium during preparation when the microscope is being prepared. Subsequently, this allows for the culture medium to be quickly removed once imaging is to begin, so that the culture media does disturb the imaging process. This same drainage system is able to collect the saline solution that leaks during this time. This chamber has been shown to decrease the setup time while allowing an increase in the quality of the images obtained.