Efficient 3-D Visualization of Cellular Structures through Reuse of Multi-focal 2-D Images

The inherent imaging properties of a light microscope used in visualization of cellular structures result in images characterized by low resolution and magnification. The images are obtained by using the microscope parameters (typically the focal setting), and are taken from a single point of view. We report a novel mutual information based image clearance (MIBIC) algorithm to refine a set of 2D images taken in a light microscope at different focal settings each representing a cross sectional view at the focal plane level and combining the most informative features from each level to produce a single image. The results illustrate that the MIBIC algorithm produces an image with enhanced visualization of cellular structures than that obtained by the best focus leveled image and thus offers a viable alternative to enhance images produced by a traditional light microscope. The results illustrate that our proposed layer separation method using multiple focus levels is an effective and efficient way for 3D imaging of translucent objects with a common light microscope