Foldscope

The Genomic Integrity team has been looking into the best ways to get the cheek cell assays to be really DIYbio (or DIT research!) and has been testing open-source imaging methods at Hackuarium:

Inspiration

Many DIY microscopes exist already. This page from Hackteria describes a few options out there, even using old webcam lenses, upside down...
The first Foldscope was developed at Stanford, by the group of Manu Prakash, and was published in PLOSOne.

First Tests at Hackuarium

The first attempts to make Foldscopes relied on a vector graphic file found on the internet in Oliver Bosewell's blog.
We used the laser-cutter in the maker space (Made@UC) to cut the pattern, and simple glass beads for lenses.
The first build and an image of an old histology slide can be found in the folder linked below (under Further information)
Even though the beads were 'up-cycled' from microbiology experiments (even scratched), the results seemed promising enough that low magnification (140X) borosilicate glass lenses were ordered.
The second build and an image with cheek cells stained with methylene blue is also included in the folder linked below.

Steiner School Student visit

We look forward to welcoming 18 15-18 year old students from the Steiner School on 22May2017, with their teacher, Veronica Monticone.

Further information

• Foldscope templates used to date (thank you OB, wherever you may be!), and further info, including our first images can be downloaded here.
• The project to assess your own cells for DNA damage at Hackuarium
• website - Action for Genomic Integrity through Research!
• Twitter account for AGiR! @AGIRgenomes