Description
Biological systems in space are exposed to elevated levels of ionising radiation
and environmental stressors that are difficult to replicate on Earth, yet con-
tinuous in-situ measurements of cellular responses during spaceflight remain
limited. Existing space biology experiments are often constrained by payload
mass, optical complexity, and the need for crew intervention, restricting experi-
mental duration and temporal resolution. There is therefore a growing need for
compact, autonomous platforms capable of long-term cellular monitoring under
tightly constrained resources.
We present a compact lab-on-a-chip system that integrates a microfluidic device
directly on top of a CMOS image sensor for simultaneous biological cell count-
ing, thermal manipulation, and super-resolution imaging. Cells flowing through
the microchannel are recorded in close proximity to the sensor, enabling lens-free
detection and real-time counting without conventional optics. Super-resolution
phase images are reconstructed using ptychographic phase retrieval from multi-
ple overlapping intensity measurements, providing detailed information on cell
morphology. Localised heating is achieved using integrated resistive heaters,
allowing controlled thermal stimulation of the cellular environment under con-
tinuous flow. The platform enables correlation between cell number, morphol-
ogy, and temperature, offering a scalable, low-mass, and low-power approach
for studying cellular responses to radiation and environmental stress. This sys-
tem is well suited for autonomous spaceflight biology experiments as well as
terrestrial applications where compact and continuous biophysical monitoring
is required