Optical microscopes are core tools driving the continuous development of life sciences. Label-free phase imaging, which utilizes refractive index as an endogenous contrast mechanism, avoids phototoxicity and photobleaching caused by fluorescent labeling, and is increasingly becoming a crucial approach for analyzing cellular structures and dynamics. Since Zernike invented the phase-contrast microscope in 1932, phase imaging technology has advanced from two-dimensional qualitative observation to three-dimensional quantitative analysis, with digital holographic microscopy and optical diffraction tomography being two representative milestone methods. However, the reliance of such interferometric techniques on highly coherent light sources and complex interference optical paths leads to fundamental bottlenecks in terms of system stability, imaging noise control, and engineering applications. As a result, they have not yet replaced phase-contrast microscopes in terms of widespread use in life science laboratories. In recent years, the development of computational optical quantitative phase imaging technology and the rise of intensity diffraction tomography have broken through the inherent limitations of traditional interferometry, marking the entry of label-free quantitative phase imaging into a new stage of development. Against this backdrop, relying on more than a decade of theoretical accumulation and methodological innovation, our team has deeply integrated advanced computational imaging frameworks with engineering design, and taken the lead in developing a new generation of label-free microscopic imaging instruments based on intensity diffraction tomography internationally. This instrument combines high resolution, high stability, and high throughput, enabling long-term, quantitative, and multi-scale observation of living cell structures and dynamic processes under label-free conditions. This paper systematically reviews the development history of label-free phase imaging, focuses on summarizing the latest progress of our team in computational optical imaging and instrument development, and looks forward to its broad prospects in disease mechanism analysis, drug screening, clinical diagnosis, and the future scientific instrument system.
| 科 Family | 属数 Number of genus | 种数 Number of species | 占总种数比例 Percentage of total species (%) | 属 Genus | 种数 Number of species | 占总种数比例 Percentage of total species (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 鹅膏菌科Amanitaceae | 2 | 11 | 5.26 | 鹅膏菌属 Amanita | 10 | 4.78 |
| 小菇科 Mycenaceae | 2 | 12 | 5.74 | 丝盖伞属 Inocybe | 5 | 2.39 |
| 多孔菌科 Polyporaceae | 8 | 14 | 6.70 | 蜡蘑属 Laccaria | 5 | 2.39 |
| 红菇科 Russulaceae | 3 | 23 | 11.00 | 小皮伞属 Marasmius | 6 | 2.87 |
| 小菇属 Mycena | 11 | 5.26 | ||||
| 光柄菇属 Pluteus | 5 | 2.39 | ||||
| 红菇属 Russula | 17 | 8.13 | ||||
| 栓菌属 Trametes | 5 | 2.39 |