{"id":632292,"date":"2024-12-13T14:35:46","date_gmt":"2024-12-13T19:35:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/?p=632292"},"modified":"2024-12-13T14:35:46","modified_gmt":"2024-12-13T19:35:46","slug":"what-is-a-microlenses-bioglass-sea-sponge-632292","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/what-is-a-microlenses-bioglass-sea-sponge-632292\/","title":{"rendered":"Can sea sponge biology transform imaging technology?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Researchers draw inspiration from nature to create tiny, powerful microlenses for advanced image sensors.<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Beneath the ocean\u2019s surface, simple marine animals called sea sponges grow delicate glass skeletons that are as intricate as they are strong. These natural structures are made of a material called silica\u2014also known as bioglass\u2014that is both lightweight and incredibly durable, allowing the sea sponges to thrive in harsh marine environments.<\/p>\n

\"Four
SPONGE-WORTHY:<\/strong>\u00a0Tethya aurantium<\/em>, also known as the orange puffball sponge or golf ball sponge. (Wikimedia Commons)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Now, scientists at the Ä¢¹½´«Ã½<\/a> have replicated this remarkable material in the lab, using bacteria and enzymes from sea sponges to create tiny microlenses that mimic the sea sponge\u2019s natural ability to combine strength and lightness. In a paper published in the journal PNAS<\/em><\/a>, the team\u2014including scientists from the University of Colorado\u2013Boulder, Delft University of Technology, and Leiden University\u2014reports that the bioinspired material could pave the way toward specialized image sensors for medical and commercial uses. By applying the remarkable properties of sea sponges, the researchers unlock new possibilities for creating sustainable and efficient materials that mimic the natural world.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis research is the first to engineer light-focusing properties\u00a0into bacteria cells, and I am excited to explore the different possibilities that our work has opened up,\u201d says Anne S. Meyer<\/a>, an associate professor in Rochester\u2019s Department of Biology<\/a>.<\/p>\n

What is a microlens?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

A microlens is a very small lens that is only a few micrometers in size\u2014about the size of a single cell in your body. Microlenses are designed to capture and focus or manipulate light into intense beams at a microscopic scale.<\/p>\n

Because of their small size, microlenses are typically difficult to create, requiring complex, expensive machinery and extreme temperatures or pressures to shape them accurately and achieve the desired optical effects.<\/p>\n

When Meyer learned about the enzymes that sea sponges use to make their glass skeletons\u2014and that the glass structures had excellent optical properties\u2014\u201cit seemed like a perfect basis for a synthetic biology project,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

\"Side-by-side
SLIP AND SLIDE:<\/strong> The researchers designed and built a specialized microscope that illuminates samples from a wide range of angles. They also developed an innovative microscopy technique to measure the optical properties of the glass-coated bacteria cells, allowing them to visualize how the bacteria focus light. (Ä¢¹½´«Ã½ photo \/ J. Adam Fenster)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Collaborative innovation across disciplines<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Meyer teamed up with experts across multiple disciplines, including optics, physics, and chemistry. Her lab engineered bacteria cells to express the silicatein enzyme from sea sponges, which the animals use to mineralize silica-based glass. They also developed a novel microscopy technique to measure the optical properties of the bacteria cells. In collaboration with material scientists at the University of Colorado\u2013Boulder, Meyer ensured that silica was present on the engineered cells by analyzing the bacteria\u2019s chemical properties. She also worked with faculty members Greg Schmidt<\/a> and Scott Carney<\/a> at Rochester\u2019s Institute of Optics<\/a> to create mathematical models that predicted the optical properties of the glass-coated cells.<\/p>\n

The result? Bacterial microlenses that are much smaller than typically produced microlenses.<\/p>\n

Because the microlenses are created by bacterial cell factories, they are inexpensive and easy to grow, and they can create their glass coating at standard temperatures and pressures.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese properties make them well-suited for a unique range of applications,\u201d Meyer says.<\/p>\n

Small lenses, big potential<\/strong><\/h3>\n

What are the benefits of a microlens? The tiny size of the bacteria-based microlenses makes them ideal for creating higher-resolution image sensors that go beyond current capabilities. The microlenses could, for instance, allow clinicians to visualize smaller structures with greater clarity. Since the glass-coated bacteria focus light into very bright beams, they have the potential to enhance conventional microscopy by enabling the imaging of objects that are currently too small to be visualized, such as small subcellular features.<\/p>\n

\"Glass-coated
BIOBEAMS:<\/strong> The glass-coated bacteria cells focus light into very bright beams, paving the way for advanced imaging technologies. These microlenses could enable higher-resolution image sensors and enhance conventional microscopy. (Ä¢¹½´«Ã½ photo \/ The Meyer Lab)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The glass-coated bacteria remain alive for several months after glass encapsulation, making them living optical devices that could be used to sense and respond to their environment by changing their optical properties.<\/p>\n

These characteristics make the microlenses attractive for other environments as well: Meyer and a team of her colleagues recently received a grant from the Air Force Office of Scientific Research to study the effects of the materials in low-gravity environments.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe ease of producing these microlenses could make them a good way to fabricate optics in locations with less access to nanofabrication tools, including outer space,\u201d Meyer says.<\/p>\n

\"Anne
SCREEN SHOT:<\/strong> Biology professor Anne S. Meyer (left) and graduate student Lynn Sidor examine a microscope image showing the glass-coated bacteria cells that create bright beams of focused light. (Ä¢¹½´«Ã½ photo \/ J. Adam Fenster).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Researchers draw inspiration from nature to create tiny, powerful microlenses for advanced image sensors.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":912,"featured_media":632362,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[116],"tags":[38642,18722,18632,18572,16072,93],"class_list":["post-632292","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sci-tech","tag-anne-s-meyer","tag-department-of-biology","tag-hajim-school-of-engineering-and-applied-sciences","tag-research-finding","tag-school-of-arts-and-sciences","tag-sustainability"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nCan sea sponge biology transform imaging technology?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Ä¢¹½´«Ã½ researchers draw inspiration from nature to create tiny, powerful microlenses for advanced image sensors.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/what-is-a-microlenses-bioglass-sea-sponge-632292\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Can sea sponge biology transform imaging technology?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Ä¢¹½´«Ã½ researchers draw inspiration from nature to create tiny, powerful microlenses for advanced image sensors.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/what-is-a-microlenses-bioglass-sea-sponge-632292\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"News Center\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-12-13T19:35:46+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/fea-microlenses-bioglass-sea-sponges-2024-12-09_Meyer_lab_0242-1200x630.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"630\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Lindsey Valich\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Lindsey Valich\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/what-is-a-microlenses-bioglass-sea-sponge-632292\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/what-is-a-microlenses-bioglass-sea-sponge-632292\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Lindsey Valich\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/fcd7d29a5b8e855924bf73b764dcd827\"},\"headline\":\"Can sea sponge biology transform imaging technology?\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-12-13T19:35:46+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/what-is-a-microlenses-bioglass-sea-sponge-632292\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":850,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/what-is-a-microlenses-bioglass-sea-sponge-632292\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/12\\\/fea-microlenses-bioglass-sea-sponges-2024-12-09_Meyer_lab_0242.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Anne S. Meyer\",\"Department of Biology\",\"Hajim School of Engineering and Applied Sciences\",\"research finding\",\"School of Arts and Sciences\",\"sustainability\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Science & Technology\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/what-is-a-microlenses-bioglass-sea-sponge-632292\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/what-is-a-microlenses-bioglass-sea-sponge-632292\\\/\",\"name\":\"Can sea sponge biology transform imaging technology?\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/what-is-a-microlenses-bioglass-sea-sponge-632292\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/what-is-a-microlenses-bioglass-sea-sponge-632292\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/12\\\/fea-microlenses-bioglass-sea-sponges-2024-12-09_Meyer_lab_0242.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-12-13T19:35:46+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/fcd7d29a5b8e855924bf73b764dcd827\"},\"description\":\"Ä¢¹½´«Ã½ researchers draw inspiration from nature to create tiny, powerful microlenses for advanced image sensors.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/what-is-a-microlenses-bioglass-sea-sponge-632292\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/what-is-a-microlenses-bioglass-sea-sponge-632292\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/what-is-a-microlenses-bioglass-sea-sponge-632292\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/12\\\/fea-microlenses-bioglass-sea-sponges-2024-12-09_Meyer_lab_0242.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/12\\\/fea-microlenses-bioglass-sea-sponges-2024-12-09_Meyer_lab_0242.jpg\",\"width\":2000,\"height\":1200,\"caption\":\"BIOGLASS MENAGERIE: Graduate student Lynn Sidor prepares bacteria cells that will self-assemble their own glass coating using enzymes from sea sponges. Sidor is working with biologist Anne Meyer and colleagues in optics and physics to create tiny, bacteria-based microlenses, which can be used for advanced imaging. (Ä¢¹½´«Ã½ photo \\\/ J. Adam Fenster)\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/what-is-a-microlenses-bioglass-sea-sponge-632292\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Can sea sponge biology transform imaging technology?\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/\",\"name\":\"News Center\",\"description\":\"Ä¢¹½´«Ã½\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/fcd7d29a5b8e855924bf73b764dcd827\",\"name\":\"Lindsey Valich\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/author\\\/lvalich\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Can sea sponge biology transform imaging technology?","description":"Ä¢¹½´«Ã½ researchers draw inspiration from nature to create tiny, powerful microlenses for advanced image sensors.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/what-is-a-microlenses-bioglass-sea-sponge-632292\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Can sea sponge biology transform imaging technology?","og_description":"Ä¢¹½´«Ã½ researchers draw inspiration from nature to create tiny, powerful microlenses for advanced image sensors.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/what-is-a-microlenses-bioglass-sea-sponge-632292\/","og_site_name":"News Center","article_published_time":"2024-12-13T19:35:46+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1200,"height":630,"url":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/fea-microlenses-bioglass-sea-sponges-2024-12-09_Meyer_lab_0242-1200x630.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Lindsey Valich","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Lindsey Valich","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/what-is-a-microlenses-bioglass-sea-sponge-632292\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/what-is-a-microlenses-bioglass-sea-sponge-632292\/"},"author":{"name":"Lindsey Valich","@id":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/#\/schema\/person\/fcd7d29a5b8e855924bf73b764dcd827"},"headline":"Can sea sponge biology transform imaging technology?","datePublished":"2024-12-13T19:35:46+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/what-is-a-microlenses-bioglass-sea-sponge-632292\/"},"wordCount":850,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/what-is-a-microlenses-bioglass-sea-sponge-632292\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/fea-microlenses-bioglass-sea-sponges-2024-12-09_Meyer_lab_0242.jpg","keywords":["Anne S. Meyer","Department of Biology","Hajim School of Engineering and Applied Sciences","research finding","School of Arts and Sciences","sustainability"],"articleSection":["Science & Technology"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/what-is-a-microlenses-bioglass-sea-sponge-632292\/","url":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/what-is-a-microlenses-bioglass-sea-sponge-632292\/","name":"Can sea sponge biology transform imaging technology?","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/what-is-a-microlenses-bioglass-sea-sponge-632292\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/what-is-a-microlenses-bioglass-sea-sponge-632292\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/fea-microlenses-bioglass-sea-sponges-2024-12-09_Meyer_lab_0242.jpg","datePublished":"2024-12-13T19:35:46+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/#\/schema\/person\/fcd7d29a5b8e855924bf73b764dcd827"},"description":"Ä¢¹½´«Ã½ researchers draw inspiration from nature to create tiny, powerful microlenses for advanced image sensors.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/what-is-a-microlenses-bioglass-sea-sponge-632292\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/what-is-a-microlenses-bioglass-sea-sponge-632292\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/what-is-a-microlenses-bioglass-sea-sponge-632292\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/fea-microlenses-bioglass-sea-sponges-2024-12-09_Meyer_lab_0242.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/fea-microlenses-bioglass-sea-sponges-2024-12-09_Meyer_lab_0242.jpg","width":2000,"height":1200,"caption":"BIOGLASS MENAGERIE: Graduate student Lynn Sidor prepares bacteria cells that will self-assemble their own glass coating using enzymes from sea sponges. Sidor is working with biologist Anne Meyer and colleagues in optics and physics to create tiny, bacteria-based microlenses, which can be used for advanced imaging. (Ä¢¹½´«Ã½ photo \/ J. Adam Fenster)"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/what-is-a-microlenses-bioglass-sea-sponge-632292\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Can sea sponge biology transform imaging technology?"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/","name":"News Center","description":"Ä¢¹½´«Ã½","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/#\/schema\/person\/fcd7d29a5b8e855924bf73b764dcd827","name":"Lindsey Valich","url":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/author\/lvalich\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/632292","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/912"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=632292"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/632292\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":632442,"href":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/632292\/revisions\/632442"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/632362"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=632292"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=632292"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=632292"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}