Phi Optics

Phi Optics, Inc. is a Champaign, Illinois company that designs and manufactures instruments based on quantitative phase imaging (QPI), a label-free imaging approach that generates contrast by quantifying the phase shift of light passing through transparent specimens. Its phase maps are converted into local measurements of thickness, refractive index and dry mass, providing quantitative, real-time 3D imaging of cell, tissue and organoid assays, protein particles, digital pathology slides, embryos, cell clusters, and un-cleared small model animals and plants.

The product line consists of add-on modules and software: CellVista SLIM (spatial light interference microscopy), CellVista GLIM (gradient light interference microscopy), and CellVista AI (phase imaging with computational specificity), plus the CellVista acquisition software platform, which can control microscope frame motorization for programmed 4D (3D plus time-lapse) multichannel monitoring of live and fixed cultures. The modules attach to the imaging port of commercial microscopes from Zeiss, Nikon, Leica and Olympus at any available magnification, accept standard sample holders such as glass slides and single or multi-well plates, and use the microscope's own camera and fluorescence channels so QPI and fluorescence images overlay directly. The company positions its platform for fundamental cell science, disease identification, drug discovery, embryo and stem cell manipulation, diagnostic pathology, nanotechnology and semiconductor testing.

Founding story

The company was co-founded in 2009 by Gabriel Popescu, a professor of electrical and computer engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign who leads the Quantitative Light Imaging laboratory, and Catalin Chiritescu, who holds a Ph.D. in materials science and engineering from the University of Illinois. It was formed to commercialize QPI techniques invented in Popescu's laboratory in response to demand for QPI-enabled devices.

Business model

Phi Optics designs and manufactures QPI hardware modules and accompanying acquisition software sold as upgrades to microscopes that customers already own (microscopes are sold separately), addressing academic, bio-pharma R&D and clinical laboratory buyers.

Traction

First commercial product launched in February 2014 with a first sale the same year; a second-generation instrument followed in February 2015. Gust listed the company at the "Full Product Ready" stage with 4 employees. Instruments have been used in published research by groups at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Washington University in St. Louis and Christie Clinic. Research Park cites recognition for outstanding technology by Central Illinois Business and finalist placement among Innovation Celebration awards.

Latest developments

The company's site highlights peer-reviewed work using its instruments, including CellVista SLIM combined with advanced microfluidics to measure dry density fluctuations during bacterial growth, GANScan deep-learning deblurring for continuous scanning microscopy, CellVista GLIM combined with confocal illumination and deep-learning PICS for label-free nucleus segmentation in dense spheroids, and cSLIM with PICS used to classify white blood cells in unlabeled clinical blood smears with 75% mean average precision.