https://doi.org/10.1140/epjp/s13360-024-05672-4
Regular Article
Advancing early detection of biological events by digital holographic microscopy and simulation of microorganisms
1
Dipartimento di Elettronica, Informazione e Bioingegneria, Politecnico di Milano, 20133, Milan, Italy
2
Ideas Science Ltd., 1173, Budapest, Hungary
3
Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, Biological Resource Center of Institut Pasteur - Collection de l’Institut Pasteur, F-75015, Paris, France
4
DataSenseLabs Ltd., 1068, Budapest, Hungary
Received:
28
March
2024
Accepted:
21
September
2024
Published online:
9
October
2024
There is a global need to advance bio-aerosol sensing for CBRN (Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear) applications by compact and cost-effective devices. Employing digital holographic microscopy (DHM) and deep learning, we developed a system called HoloZcan to automate the analysis of airborne microbial pathogens and particles. DHM provides valuable information, but obtaining data from biological specimens for robust investigations is challenging. This paper introduces a custom simulation approach using the open-source software Meep and the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method to overcome limitations of existing Mie-based simulators, especially when dealing with complex microbial shapes. The simulation tool enables the modelling of specific microorganisms, offering a safer and more flexible alternative for CBRN research by bypassing ethical and logistical constraints associated with live pathogens. The study details the simulation workflow, built upon the construction of a database of optical properties of biological materials, for realistic simulations of light-microbe interactions. Evaluations on homogeneous and non-homogeneous objects demonstrate the tool’s limited intrinsic errors and superior sensitivity to refractive index changes compared to traditional Mie-based simulations. This work significantly advances our capability to accurately simulate and analyse CBRN-related scenarios, enhancing comprehensive research in bio-aerosol sensing.
A. Molani and B. Mihalik have contributed equally to this work.
Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at https://doi.org/10.1140/epjp/s13360-024-05672-4.
© The Author(s) 2024
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