# PRECISION UNIVERSAL COMPENSATOR FOR IMAGING POLARIMETRY

> **NIH NIH R41** · CAMBRIDGE RESEARCH AND INSTRUMENTATION · 1994 · $100,000

## Abstract

Researchers at the Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, MA, are
developing a polarized light microscope (pol-scope) with substantial
advantages over traditional pol-scopes in speed, resolution, and
versatility.  The microscope, with a new liquid crystal (LC) universal
compensator, produces images in under one second that measure optical
anisotropies irrespective of sample orientation and at the spatial
resolution of the microscope. While traditional pol-scopes are typically
used to measure optical anisotropy in a single specimen point, the new
microscope provides measurements over a large area with high spatial and
temporal resolution.

We propose to advance the art of construction and control of precision LC
retarders to increase the speed and sensitivity of the new pol-scope, and
to investigate feasibility of developing a convenient and versatile
microscope accessory with software.  These enhancements will critically
improve the first capability to visualize and analyze quantitatively the
dynamic organization of macromolecular assemblies, independent of their
orientation, in living cells.  Examples of such assemblies include the
mitotic spindle, the contractile ring during cell cleavage or the
microtubule organization during cell interphase. We anticipate that a
moderately priced accessory based on this research will find solid niche
markets for scientific investigations, as well as clinical and industrial
applications.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 2190318
- **Project number:** 1R41GM051644-01
- **Recipient organization:** CAMBRIDGE RESEARCH AND INSTRUMENTATION
- **Principal Investigator:** CLIFFORD C HOYT
- **Activity code:** R41 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 1994
- **Award amount:** $100,000
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 1994-07-01 → 1995-09-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/2190318

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 2190318, PRECISION UNIVERSAL COMPENSATOR FOR IMAGING POLARIMETRY (1R41GM051644-01). Retrieved via MORVS 2026-10-25 from https://api.morvs.ai/grant/nih/2190318. Licensed CC0.

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