openScopes Africa
Widening access to microscopy in Africa
In general, openScopes aims to make advanced optical microscopy more accessible, including to LMIC laboratories that cannot afford to purchase and/or maintain commercial instruments. In Africa this effort is being supported by the Advanced Imaging through Collaborative Projects programme of the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, who are supporting the openScopes Africa project. Our team from Imperial College London (Imperial) and the University of Cape Town (UCT) aim to establish an “openScopes hub” in South Africa to pilot dissemination of (locally) sustainable, open-source instrumentation and software. In collaboration with the African Microscopy Initiative, we are working to introduce African scientists to openScopes instrumentation and are exploring ways to provide training in the assembly and application of instruments that their host institutions could afford and maintain. Our focus is on the low-cost modular openFrame microscope platform, developed in partnership with Cairn Research Ltd, that supports implementations of automated fluorescence microscopy, super-resolved microscopy, and quantitative phase imaging.
CAD files for basic openFrame components are freely shared and fabricated components can be complemented by generic optical, optomechanical and electronic components to implement specific microscope capabilities. Alternatively, openFrame components and compatible accessories and modules can be obtained from Cairn Research Ltd. A manual openFrame fluorescence microscope enabling single molecule localisation microscopy can be configured for ~$10,000 - $15,000 component cost and controlled using open-source software such as µManager. This can be upgraded to provide many other microscopy modalities, including motorized stages, optical autofocus and quantitative phase imaging. Most required components cost <$1000. We aim to develop further openScopes capabilities collaboratively with South African and African partners to address local specific biomedical research priorities.
CZI have funded the openScopes Africa project under their Advancing Imaging through Collaborative Projects programme, for which we are providing parts lists, instructions and in-person and online training to implement specific microscopy capabilities, thereby enabling microscopy users to configure and maintain their own instruments. To enhance sustainability, this project includes a researcher exchange ahead of the openScopes hub set-up in Cape Town, followed by wider training through visiting fellowships to the Cape Town hub and through an online workshop in April 2024 and a hands-on workshop in July 2024.
OpenScopes in Africa
openScopes at ABIC
Sunil Kumar took our first openFrame-based microscope to South Africa in October 2023 and presented it at the 2023 ABIC Community meeting of the CZI-supported Africa Bioimaging Consortium (ABIC) held in Stellenbosch.
openScopes Africa workshop 1: online April 11, 2024
This online workshop presented our progress developing and sharing modular, low-cost, open-source microscopy hardware and software that aims to enable scientists around the world to access advanced imaging techniques to study biology by assembling their own affordable, configurable, locally sustainable and upgradeable research-grade microscopes. Registration was free and we had over 150 participants with diverse research backgrounds from 14 African countries and beyond.
openScopes Africa workshop 2: in-person July 15-17, 2024
This in-person hands-on workshop introduced 24 scientists of diverse career stages and research backgrounds from 9 African countries to openScopes and openFrame-based modular, cost-effective microscopy hardware and associated open-source software. Scientists from Imperial and Cairn Research Ltd brought three openFrame-based microscopes to UCT in July for this openScopes workshop organised by AMI/UCT. Over 3 days attendees were introduced to the basics of microscopy, computer-controlled (MicroManager) image acquisition and (FIJI/ImageJ) data analysis and every attendee learned how to acquire and analyse images, then disassemble a working brightfield/fluorescence openFrame-based microscope, reassemble it, and again undertake computer-controlled microscopy on the same instrument. Two of the openFrame-based microscopes are now established in the the Institute of Infectious Disease & Molecular Medicine at UCT where they are being used for medical research.
Please email openScopesAfrica@vula.uct.ac.za with enquiries about openScopes Africa events.