Since Alzheimer disease (AD) affects up to 50% of individuals above 85, we will witness the three-fold increase in the number of patients by 2050 if no efficient therapy will be found. The FLORIN offers non-invasive real-time monitoring of key mechanisms involved in the AD pathogenesis by avant-garde bioimaging at temporal resolution less than 1 millisecond and spatial resolution 20 - 50 nm combined with the simultaneous all-optical thermal control with 20 mK accuracy. FLORIN relies on three pillars. (1) super-resolution optical fluctuation image scanning microscopy (SOFISM) and photon antibunching contrast enhanced super-resolved optical imaging (Q-ISM), providing accurate real-time information on fluorescent nanoparticles delivery, their organelle-specific targeting on the molecular level, and intracellular distribution with spatial resolution below 20-50 nm; (2) frequency upconverting quantum emitters that enable convert excitation in the tissue transparency window (from 650 to 1350 nm) to fluorescence in visual spectral range; (3) biosensing techniques capable to detect tiny changes of temperature in the living tissue with 20 mK accuracy. With its vision for the project and beyond, FLORIN will facilitate the further development of the devices for the clinical diagnosis and treatment of AD, being fully in line with the EU Joint Programme – Neurodegenerative Disease Research and contributing to UN Sustainable Development Goal “To Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages”. Uniting 6 well-recognized academic partners from EU and Canada, and 3 hi-tech SMEs, ATOMICUS (Germany), Adamas (USA) and Platformina (Lithuania), FLORIN action as a part of the ‘biophotonics and quantum sensing’ flow will contribute to the rise of the potential of individuals and improve their career perspectives in research and innovations within this strongly networked European and global Photonics, Material science, Quantum technologies and Neuroscience communities.

Probe microscopy is a novel form of microscopy that has been developed over the last 20 years. Images are obtained by feeling the surface profile of samples deposited onto suitable substrates. Images are generated in much the same way as a blind person builds a picture through feeling materials and objects. As well as revealing the surface profile of the object the microscope, like a blind person, can augment the image through sensing other features of the object, such as charge, hardness or stickiness. At IFR we have pioneered the use of this type of microscopy in food science. The microscopes can image food structures at sub-molecular resolution. An advantage of this type of microscopy is the ability to image samples under liquid or gaseous environments with minimal sample preparation. This has allowed the methods to be used to solve previously intractable problems in food science. By studying how food molecules (fats, carbohydrates and proteins) interact, and the types of structures they form in foods, it has been possible to understand and enhance the quality of food products. The instruments at IFR are now dated, becoming obsolete and no longer suitable for routine use. We are requesting funding to update our research facilities with a modern state-of-the-art instrument that will allow IFR to extend the application of these methods in food science, provide an imaging service facility, and to develop new applications in food science, only achievable through the use of modern instruments.