Pixelated polariton filters for multichannel hyperspectral lensless imagers

Fluorescence microscopy is a fundamental tool in biomedical research, pharmaceutical development, and clinical diagnostics, yet conventional systems remain costly, bulky, and impractical for scalable or portable applications. PolaritonPixels introduces a lensless multicolour fluorescence imaging platform that integrates arrays of narrow-band polariton filters directly onto CMOS imaging chips, eliminating the need for traditional bulky optics and filter wheels. This breakthrough enables simultaneous spectral discrimination of multiple fluorophores in a compact, cost-effective, and scalable format, making high-quality multicolour fluorescence imaging more accessible for emerging applications such as high-throughput screening and point-of-care diagnostics. This 18-month project will advance PolaritonPixels from TRL 2-3 to TRL 4, demonstrating a fully functional prototype with validated multicolour fluorescence imaging performance. The system will be optimized to ensure precise spectral separation, high signal-to-noise ratio, and stable imaging performance across diverse biological applications, including live-cell imaging, tissue-scale fluorescence analysis, and multiplexed assays. By addressing key technical challenges and validating the technology’s real-world applicability, the project will position PolaritonPixels as a novel alternative to traditional fluorescence microscopy. By significantly reducing cost, complexity, and footprint while maintaining high imaging performance, PolaritonPixels has the potential to democratize microscopy, enabling broader adoption in biomedical research, pharmaceutical development, and decentralized diagnostics. The project will lay the foundation for further commercialization and scale-up, supporting an EIC Transition application to bring this disruptive imaging technology to market.