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The physical form of a drug can affect how easily it dissolves, how stable it remains and how well it is absorbed by the body. Yet amorphous forms are notoriously difficult to characterise. The new multimodal spectroscopy platform developed by Spectō Photonics and international research partners addresses this challenge by combining chemical, structural and mechanical analysis in one label-free measurement, with all three captured from the same illumination voxel. Enabled by Specto’s proprietary Birefringence-Induced Phase Delay filter, the platform brings together Brillouin, ultra-low-frequency Raman and conventional Raman spectroscopy. The results point to a more complete way of analysing complex pharmaceutical materials, addressing a key unmet need in drug development while opening wider possibilities across biomedical research and materials science. The research has been published in leading peer-reviewed scientific journal Nature Communications. Read the full study: https://lnkd.in/d8DEg56Q

Cardiovascular diseases remain the leading cause of death worldwide. Brillouin spectroscopy is opening new possibilities to understand and detect the biomechanical changes underlying these diseases. In one of our early pilot studies, we explored how Brillouin microscopy can reveal the mechanical properties of atherosclerotic plaques. We found that plaques prone to rupture are characterized not only by their morphology, but also by their local mechanical properties. By mapping tissue biomechanics at the microscopic scale through the Brillouin spectrum, this approach provides information beyond conventional structural imaging, helping us better understand plaque vulnerability and highlighting the potential of Brillouin spectroscopy for future cardiovascular applications. You can read the full study here: https://lnkd.in/ewdGJmRa

Brillouin and Raman spectroscopy together offer a powerful way to probe the physical properties of materials through non-contact, label-free 3D analysis. Despite their potential, spectral investigations remain challenging. Strong elastic background light from specular reflections and Rayleigh scattering often overwhelms the much weaker Brillouin signal. Spectō Photonics’ proprietary Birefringent-Induced Phase Delay (BIPD) filter provides a simple and effective solution, suppressing extremely high levels of Rayleigh light and allowing clear detection of the Brillouin spectrum. The common-path, ultra-compact BIPD filter integrates easily into standard optical setups. It also supports simultaneous Brillouin–Raman THz measurements, enabling co-registration of mechanical, structural, and chemical information in a single shot. Learn more at: spectophotonics.com #BrillouinSpectroscopy #Mechanobiology #Photonics #SiliconPhotonics #CellMechanics

ALBA brings rapid, all-optical 3D mechanical imaging into living cells. Our on-chip Brillouin spectrometer can be easily integrated into standard microscopes, enabling researchers to map mechanical contrast within living cells and distinguish regions such as the cytoplasm, nucleus and nucleoli with sub-micron spatial resolution. Measurements are label-free and non-contact, allowing researchers to follow cellular mechanics over time without adding markers or using physical probes. ALBA images can also be correlated with fluorescence and Raman microscopy to link mechanical contrast with cellular structure and composition. From nuclear mechanics and cell differentiation to drug response and cancer research, ALBA offers a new way to explore how mechanics shapes cell behaviour. Curious what ALBA could reveal in your samples? Get in touch.

A breakthrough in Brillouin microscopy is opening new frontiers in mechanobiology and beyond. Brillouin spectroscopy enables all-optical, label-free investigation of the mechanical properties of living systems. Yet complex free-space optomechanics and bulky setups have limited its widespread adoption across different fields. Spectō Photonics overcomes these barriers introducing the world’s first integrated Brillouin spectrometer on a silicon photonics chip, ALBA. Its ultra-compact footprint requires virtually no extra lab space and is inherently alignment-free without compromising sensitivity, spectral resolution, or dynamic range. Being fully compatible with standard microscopes, ALBA drammatically enhances ease of use, long-term stability and acquisition speed in Brillouin microscopy for rapid, noncontact 3D mechanical imaging. Learn more at spectophotonics.com #BrillouinSpectroscopy #Mechanobiology #Photonics #SiliconPhotonics #CellMechanics

Can Brillouin microscopy directly reveal liquid-to-solid phase transitions inside cells? Our pioneering work provided one the very first demonstrations that it can. In ALS, we directly observed pathological liquid-to-solid phase transitions associated with mutant FUS protein aggregates inside living cells. Using Brillouin microscopy, we identified altered biomechanical properties of FUS stress granules consistent with intracellular solidification. Previous studies had mainly observed these transitions in simplified reconstituted systems, while direct evidence inside cells remained elusive. These findings highlight the growing importance of mechanobiology and biomolecular phase separation research in understanding neurodegenerative disease. Explore the study and its findings: https://lnkd.in/eatBv323