Professor Ryan Rich, Ph.D., is an assistant professor of physics who specializes in experimental biophysics and an inventor. He was issued a U.S. Patent (9,612,245) this month for his multiple-pulse pumping for enhanced fluorescence detection and molecular imaging in cells and tissue.  

"Confocal fluorescence microscopy has revolutionized cellular and molecular biology over the last several decades by allowing high-contrast, high-resolution imaging of living cells and quantitative analysis of biomolecular processes. However, the technique has been less successful for imaging in dense tissue samples," Rich says. "This is because of the enormous background and subsequent poor contrast. This invention resulted from collaboration with my colleagues at UNT Health Science Center and Texas Christian University, and it promises to open a new window into tissues studies by manipulating the photophysics of fluorescent probes through closely spaced laser excitation pulses."

Find the full text of Rich's patent here: USPTO Patent Full-Text and Image Database.