Quantitative label-free cell imaging by means of digital holographic miscroscopy: a roadmap for a complete characterization of biological samples

The research activity, performed at the institute for Microelectronic and Microsystems, has been devoted to the study and the development of non-destructive optical techniques for morphological analysis of biological samples. A digital holographic microscope has been designed and set up, compatible with micro-manufactured devices, for a label-free, non-destructive characterization of biological samples, as particular regard to bovine and human spermatozoa. Moreover, dedicated algorithms have been developed in order to elaborate the acquired hologram and to retrieve the needed biological parameters of the analyzed sample.