A Multimodal Imaging Framework to Advance Phenotyping of Living Label-free Breast Cancer Cells

作者： Leonardo Bianchi1,2,3, Arianna Bresci2, Koseki J. Kobayashi-Kirschvink2,4, Gabriela Paroni5, Paola Saccomandi3, Peter T. C. So1,2,6, Jeon Woong Kang2 1Department of Mechanical Engineering,Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2Laser Biomedical Research Center, G. R. Harrison Spectroscopy Laboratory,Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 3Department of Mechanical Engineering,Politecnico di Milano, 4Klarman Cell Observatory,Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, 5Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology,Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, 6Department of Biological Engineering,Massachusetts Institute of Technology

简介：

Overview

This protocol presents a multimodal imaging approach using confocal Raman microspectroscopy and tomographic phase microscopy for label-free, non-invasive phenotyping of human breast cancer cells. It provides rapid and unbiased morpho-chemical analysis, offering insights into biochemical and morphological characteristics of cells.

Key Study Components

Area of Science

• Cell Biology
• Cancer Research
• Biomedical Imaging

Background

• Conventional methods often involve perturbative techniques like fluorescence labeling.
• Label-free imaging is crucial for studying cells in their native physiological environment.
• Multimodal approaches can enhance the understanding of cellular characteristics.
• There is a need for non-invasive techniques in cancer diagnostics and research.

Purpose of Study

• To develop a protocol for morpho-chemical phenotyping of breast cancer cells.
• To create an atlas of optical biomarkers for various biomedical applications.
• To advance regenerative medicine and disease research through non-invasive techniques.

Methods Used

• Confocal Raman microspectroscopy for biochemical analysis.
• Tomographic phase microscopy for morphological insights.
• Label-free imaging under physiological conditions.
• Human-bias-free analysis pipeline for quantitative assessment.

Main Results

• Demonstrated high potential for multimodal imaging in cancer research.
• Provided detailed morpho-chemical insights into breast cancer cells.
• Showed versatility and reproducibility of the imaging techniques.
• Highlighted the non-invasive nature of the approach for various applications.

Conclusions

• The multimodal approach is a promising tool for cancer research.
• It enables comprehensive analysis of living cells without perturbation.
• Future applications include drug screening and quality control in regenerative medicine.

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