This PDF file contains the front matter associated with SPIE Proceedings Volume 8947, including the Title Page, Copyright Information, Table of Contents, and the Conference Committee listing.

Toward improving early detection of melanoma by accurate diagnosis and avoidance of unnecessary surgical excisions of common moles, we are developing noninvasive quantitative spectral fingerprinting of protein expression using Raman spectroscopy within confocally gated volumes of tissue. Our first target is the L-tryptophan catabolism pathway, which is unregulated in the tumor micro-environment and inhibits the immune response that usually is tumor suppressive. The tryptophan pathway is therefore worthy of diagnostic measurement and finding the ratio of L-tryptophan to its metabolites may aid a melanoma diagnosis. We report the intensity of the Raman signal from L-tryptophan and quinolinic acid, which are found during different stages of the tryptophan metabolic pathway.

While three-dimensional tumor models have emerged as valuable tools in cancer research, the ability to longitudinally visualize the 3D tumor architecture restored by these systems is limited with microscopy techniques that provide only qualitative insight into sample depth, or which require terminal fixation for depth-resolved 3D imaging. Here we report the use of digital holographic microscopy (DHM) as a viable microscopy approach for quantitative, non-destructive longitudinal imaging of in vitro 3D tumor models. Following established methods we prepared 3D cultures of pancreatic cancer cells in overlay geometry on extracellular matrix beds and obtained digital holograms at multiple timepoints throughout the duration of growth. The holograms were digitally processed and the unwrapped phase images were obtained to quantify nodule thickness over time under normal growth, and in cultures subject to chemotherapy treatment. In this manner total nodule volumes are rapidly estimated and demonstrated here to show contrasting time dependent changes during growth and in response to treatment. This work suggests the utility of DHM to quantify changes in 3D structure over time and suggests the further development of this approach for time-lapse monitoring of 3D morphological changes during growth and in response to treatment that would otherwise be impractical to visualize.

Targeted therapies such as PI3K inhibition can affect tumor vasculature, and hence delivery of imaging agents like FDG, while independently modifying intrinsic glucose demand. Therefore, it is important to identify whether perceived changes in glucose uptake are caused by vascular or true metabolic changes. This study sought to develop an optical strategy for quantifying tissue glucose uptake free of cross-talk from tracer delivery effects. Glucose uptake kinetics were measured using a fluorescent D-glucose derivative 2-(N-(7-Nitrobenz-2-oxa-1,3-diazol-4-yl)Amino)-2-deoxy-Dglucose (2-NBDG), and 2-(N-(7-Nitrobenz-2-oxa-1,3-diazol-4-yl)Amino)-2-deoxy-L-glucose (2-NBDLG) was used as a control to report on non-specific uptake. Vascular oxygenation (SO₂) was calculated from wavelength-dependent hemoglobin absorption. We have previously shown that the rate of 2-NBDG delivery in vivo profoundly affects perceived demand. In this study, we investigated the potential of the ratio of 2-NBDG uptake to the rate of delivery (2-NBDG₆₀/R_D) to report on 2-NBDG demand in vivo free from confounding delivery effects. In normal murine tissue, we show that 2-NBDG₆₀/R_D can distinguish specific uptake from non-specific cell membrane binding, whereas fluorescence intensity alone cannot. The ratio 2-NBDG₆₀/R_D also correlates with blood glucose more strongly than 2-NBDG₆₀ does in normal murine tissue. Additionally, 2-NBDG₆₀/R_D can distinguish normal murine tissue from a murine metastatic tumor across a range of SO₂ values. The results presented here indicate that the ratio of 2-NBDG uptake to the rate of 2-NBDG delivery (2- NBDG₆₀/R_D) is superior to 2-NBDG intensity alone for quantifying changes in glucose demand.

Fluorescent imaging technique is a promising method and has been developed for in vivo applications in cellular biology. In particular, nonlinear optical imaging technique, multi-photon microscopy has make it possible to analyze deep portion of tissues in living animals such as axons of spinal code. Traumatic spinal cord injuries (SCIs) are usually caused by contusion damages. Therefore, observation of spinal cord tissue after the contusion injury is necessary for understanding cellular dynamics in response to traumatic SCI and development of the treatment for traumatic SCI. Our goal is elucidation of mechanism for degeneration of axons after contusion injuries by establishing SCI model and chronic observation of injured axons in the living animals. Firstly we generated and observed acute SCI model by contusion injury. By using a multi-photon microscope, axons in dorsal cord were visualized approximately 140 micron in depth from the surface. Immediately after injury, minimal morphological change of spinal cord was observed. At 3 days after injury, spinal cord was swelling and the axons seem to be fragmented. At 7 days after injury, increased degradation of axons could be observed, although the image was blurred due to accumulation of the connective tissue. In the present study, we successfully observed axon degeneration after the contusion SCI in a living animal in vivo. Our final goal is to understand molecular mechanisms and cellular dynamics in response to traumatic SCIs in acute and chronic stage.

Infrared (IR) imaging spectroscopy of human liver tissue slices has been used to identify and characterize a liver metastasis of breast origin (mucinous carcinoma) which was surgically removed from a consenting patient and frozen without formalin fixation or dehydration procedures, so that lipids and water remain in the tissues. Previously, a set of IR metrics was determined for tumors in fixation-free liver tissues facilitating a k-means cluster analysis differentiating tumor from nontumor. Different and more in depth aspects of these results are examined in this work including three metric color imaging, differencing for lipid identification, and a new technique to simultaneously fit band lineshapes and their 2^nd derivatives in order to better characterize protein changes.

We previously reported the combination of the high-speed stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) microscope and the multivariate analysis (principal component analysis and independent component analysis) for the tissue imaging. The results indicated the visualization of tissue components without chemical staining. Here, we report the multi-area observation of the tumor-grafted mouse tissue based on the same approach. The tumor-grafted mouse (balb/cAcJ nu/nu) was prepared by injection of human pancreatic carcinoma cell line (SUIT-2) into the tail of pancreas. Both of the pancreas cancer and the liver metastasis were harvested and fixed in formalin. Tissues were cryo-sectioned with a thickness of 100 μm and observed. The multispectral images (130 μm square, 500 x 500 pixels) of C-H vibration range from 2800 to 3100cm^-1 (91 different Raman shift images) were obtained at a frame rate of 30 frames/sec. The data acquisition both of pancreas and liver were continued for the 48 adjacent areas for the observation both of cancerous and non-cancerous region, respectively. All the datasets were combined to analyze for multivariate analysis. We propose a protocol for drastic data reduction, which we found to give reproducible results and allows fast calculation of ICA. The independent component images indicated the different shapes and compositions between the cancerous region and the non-cancerous region.

In this study, we investigated the effects of size and surrounding media viscosity on trapping of microspheres. A continuous wave ytterbium fiber laser with a 1064 nm wavelength was used to create an optical tweezers system for optical manipulation experiments. Briefly, the system consisted of an inverted microscope, and a 100X 1.4 NA oil immersion objective through which the laser beam converged to form the optical trap. The laser beam was collimated, steered, and coupled to the microscope through the epifluorescence microscope port. The laser power at the trap focal spot was determined by measuring the input power at the back aperture of the objective multiplied by the objective transmission factor at 1064 nm measured by a modified dual objective method. Polystyrene microspheres varying in diameter from 5 to 15 microns were suspended in liquid media in glass bottom petri dishes prior to trapping experiments. The microspheres were trapped at different trapping powers, and fluidic viscous drag forces where applied to the optically trapped microspheres by driving a computer controlled 2D motorized microscope stage at known velocities. The drag forces were calculated at the point that the microspheres fell out of the trap, based on the Stokes equation for flow around spheres. The data show a linear relationship between trapping force and trap power within the range of the microsphere diameters and media viscosity values used. The work includes calculation of the dimensionless trap efficiency coefficient (Q) at 1064 nm wavelength and the corresponding effects of media viscosity and microsphere size on (Q).

Inflammatory arthritic diseases have prevalence between 2 and 3% and may lead to joint destruction and deformation resulting in a loss of function. Patient’s quality of life is often severely affected as the disease attacks hands and finger joints. Pathology involved in arthritis includes angiogenesis, hyper-vascularization, hyper-metabolism and relative hypoxia. We have employed hyperspectral imaging to study the hemodynamics of affected- and non-affected joints and tissue. Two hyperspectral, push-broom cameras were used (VNIR-1600, SWIR-320i, Norsk Elektro Optikk AS, Norway). Optical spectra (400nm – 1700nm) of high spectral resolution were collected from 15 patients with visible symptoms of arthritic rheumatic diseases in at least one joint. The control group consisted of 10 healthy individuals. Concentrations of dominant chromophores were calculated based on analytical calculations of light transport in tissue. Image processing was used to analyze hyperspectral data and retrieve information, e.g. blood concentration and tissue oxygenation maps. The obtained results indicate that hyperspectral imaging can be used to quantify changes within affected joints and surrounding tissue. Further improvement of this method will have positive impact on diagnosis of arthritic joints at an early stage. Moreover it will enable development of fast, noninvasive and noncontact diagnostic tool of arthritic joints

We introduce the new clinical prototype of SkinSpect – a multimode dermoscope combining fluorescence, polarization and hyperspectral imaging. The system determines relative melanin and hemoglobin concentrations as well as oxygen saturation while effectively correcting for the melanin-hemoglobin crosstalk commonly observed in other spectral dermoscopy approaches. Optical specifications and performance of this new clinical and our previous research prototypes are compared. Light source programming and image polarization selection using LCVR are optimized to improve the accuracy of skin chromophore quantitation. Polarized attenuation spectra are computed and applied to a Beer-Lambert linear model to extract the relative contributions of chromophores at every pixel.

We have developed a multimode imaging dermoscope that combines polarization and hyperspectral imaging with a computationally rapid analytical model. This approach employs specific spectral ranges of visible and near infrared wavelengths for mapping the distribution of specific skin bio-molecules. This corrects for the melanin-hemoglobin misestimation common to other systems, without resorting to complex and computationally intensive tissue optical models that are prone to inaccuracies due to over-modeling. Various human skin measurements including a melanocytic nevus, and venous occlusion conditions were investigated and compared with other ratiometric spectral imaging approaches. Access to the broad range of hyperspectral data in the visible and near-infrared range allows our algorithm to flexibly use different wavelength ranges for chromophore estimation while minimizing melanin-hemoglobin optical signature cross-talk.

A new approach for generating high-speed multispectral images has been previously reported by our team. The central concept is that spectra can be acquired for each pixel in a confocal spatial laser scan by using a fast spectrometer based on optical fiber delay lines. This method merges fast spectroscopy with standard spatial scanning to create image datacubes in real time. The datacubes can be analyzed to define regions of interest (ROIs) containing diseased tissue. Firmware and software have been developed for selectively scanning these ROIs with increased optical power. This enables real time image-guided laser treatment with a spatial resolution of a few microns.

The paper presents a novel approach to detect and monitor excited biomolecules by means of holographic registration of thermal disturbances produced by their radiationless deactivation. The photoacoustic and photorefractive methods do not provide any data on spatial distribution of these disturbances. Holographic interferometry allows one to obtain in a single shot a 2D image of the area under study containing information on spatial distribution of local variations of refractive index induced by temperature variations. The method feasibility is demonstrated on the monitoring of photosensitized generation and radiationless deactivation of singlet oxygen in water.

Regenerative medicine brings a huge application for Mesenchymal stem cells such as Dental Pulp Stem Cells (DPSCs). Confocal Raman microscopy, a non-invasive, label free , real time and high spatial resolution imaging technique is used to study osteogenic differentiation of DPSCs. Integrated Raman intensities in the 2800-3000 cm^-1 region (C-H stretching) and 960 cm^-1 peak (phosphate PO₄ ^3-) were collected. In Dental Pulp Stem Cells 21^st day differentiated in buffer solution, phosphate peaks ν₁ PO₄ ^3- (first vibrational mode) at 960cm^-1 and ν₂ PO₄ ^3- at 430cm^–1 and ν₄ PO₄ ^3- at 585cm^-1 are obviously present. Confocal Raman microscopy enables the detection of cell differentiation and it can be used to investigate clinical stem cell research.

Point-of-care (POC) testing is increasingly applied as a cost effective alternative to many diagnostic tests. Key in POC testing is to create sufficient assay sensitivity with relatively low cost reagents and equipment. For this purpose we have employed a unique reporter, upconverting phosphor (UCP) particles, in combination with lateral flow (LF) assays. UCPs, submicron ceramic particles doped with rare earth ions (lanthanides), convert infrared to visible light and do not suffer from autofluorescence which limits conventional fluorescence based assays. Low cost handheld readers and microfluidics were evaluated in various applications. Designed assays are well suited for applications outside diagnostic laboratories, in resource poor settings, and can even be used by patients at home. Using two distinctly different UCP-LF assay formats, we focussed on assays for infectious diseases based on the detection of pathogen-specific antibodies and/or antigens including nucleic acids to demonstrate active infection with HIV. Only minor adaptation of the standard UCP-LF assay format is needed to render the format suitable for applications involving low affinity capture antibodies (e.g. in the detection of neurotoxin, botulism), capture of small molecules (e.g. detection of melatonin, a key hormone in chronopharmacology) or the use of dry UCP reagents (e.g. detection of protein based fruit-ripening markers, of economic interest in agriculture). Finally, we anticipate on developments in healthcare (personalized medicine) by discussing the potential of one of the UCP-LF assay formats to measure serum trough levels of immunodrugs (e.g. infliximab or adalimumab) in patients treated for inflammatory bowel disease and rheumatoid arthritis.

The long fluorescence lifetime of quantum dots (QDs) is not often utilized in high-throughput bioassays, despite of the potential for the lifetime to be an optimum parameter for multiplexing with spectrally overlapping excitable species that have short fluorescence lifetimes. The limitation of currently available instruments that can rapidly resolve complex decay kinetics of QDs contributes to this dearth. Therefore work in our laboratory is focused on developing unique and reliable frequency-domain flow cytometry (FDFC) systems as well as QDs applications where fluorescence dynamics are exploited. In this paper we demonstrate both by simulation and experimental validation, the viability of rapidly capturing the fluorescence lifetime of QDs from single QDs-labeled cells and microspheres by employing a home-built FDFC system. With FDFC theory we simulated measurements of long-lived QDs decays and evaluated the potential to discriminate multi-exponential decay profiles of QDs from typical cellular autofluorescence lifetimes. Our FDFC simulation work included calculations of fluorescence phase-shifts at multiple modulation frequencies extracted from square wave modulation signals (i.e. similar to heterodyning frequency-domain spectroscopy). Experimental work to support the result from our simulations involved acquiring measurements from real samples and processing them for multi-frequency phase shifts. Additionally the average excited-state lifetimes of QDs (streptavidin conjugated CdSe/Zns and oleic acid coated CdSxSe1-x/ZnS) measured were found to be greater than 15 ns. The average lifetime results were consistent with published literature values as well as verified with independent time domain measurements. This work opens the possibility of developing powerful bioassays using FDFC based on the long fluorescence lifetime of QDs.

Myocardial infarction (MI) is an acute life-threatening disease with a high incidence worldwide. Aim of this study was to test lectin-carbohydrate binding-induced red blood cell (RBC) agglutination as an innovative tool for fast, precise and cost effective diagnosis of MI. Five lectins (Ricinus communis agglutinin (RCA), Phaseolus vulgaris erythroagglutinin (PHA), Datura stramonium agglutinin (DSA), Artocarpus agglutinin (ArA), Triticum agglutinin (TA)) were tested for ability to differentiate between agglutination characteristics in patients with MI (n = 101) or angina pectoris without MI (AP) (n = 34) and healthy volunteers (HV) as control (n =68) . RBC agglutination was analyzed by light absorbance of a stirred RBC suspension in the green to red light spectrum in an agglutimeter (amtec, Leipzig, Germany) for 15 min after lectin addition. Mean cell count in aggregates was estimated from light absorbance by a mathematical model. Each lectin induced RBC agglutination. RCA led to the strongest RBC agglutination (~500 RBCs/aggregate), while the others induced substantially slower agglutination and lead to smaller aggregate sizes (5-150 RBCs/aggregate). For all analyzed lectins the lectin-induced RBC agglutination of MI or AP patients was generally higher than for HV. However, only PHA induced agglutination that clearly distinguished MI from HV. Variance analysis showed that aggregate size after 15 min. agglutination induced by PHA was significantly higher in the MI group (143 RBCs/ aggregate) than in the HV (29 RBC-s/aggregate, p = 0.000). We hypothesize that pathological changes during MI induce modification of the carbohydrate composition on the RBC membrane and thus modify RBC agglutination. Occurrence of carbohydrate-lectin binding sites on RBC membranes provides evidence about MI. Due to significant difference in the rate of agglutination between MI > HV the differentiation between these groups is possible based on PHA-induced RBC-agglutination. This novel assay could serve as a rapid, cost effective valuable new tool for diagnosis of MI.

Toxicity test of new chemicals belongs to the first steps in the drug screening, using different cultured cell lines. However, primary human cells represent the human organism better than cultured tumor derived cell lines. We developed a very gentle toxicity assay for isolation and incubation of human peripheral blood leukocytes (PBL) and tested it using different bioactive oligopeptides (OP). Effects of different PBL isolation methods (red blood cell lysis; Histopaque isolation among others), different incubation tubes (e.g. FACS tubes), anticoagulants and blood sources on PBL viability were tested using propidium iodide-exclusion as viability measure (incubation time: 60 min, 36°C) and flow cytometry. Toxicity concentration and time-depended effects (10-60 min, 36 °C, 0-100 μg /ml of OP) on human PBL were analyzed. Erythrocyte lysis by hypotonic shock (dH2O) was the fastest PBL isolation method with highest viability (>85%) compared to NH₄Cl-Lysis (49%). Density gradient centrifugation led to neutrophil granulocyte cell loss. Heparin anticoagulation resulted in higher viability than EDTA. Conical 1.5 mL and 2 mL micro-reaction tubes (both polypropylene (PP)) had the highest viability (99% and 97%) compared to other tubes, i.e. three types of 5.0 mL round-bottom tubes PP (opaque-60%), PP (blue-62%), Polystyrene (PS-64%). Viability of PBL did not differ between venous and capillary blood. A gentle reproducible preparation and analytical toxicity-assay for human PBL was developed and evaluated. Using our assay toxicity, time-course, dose-dependence and aggregate formation by OP could be clearly differentiated and quantified. This novel assay enables for rapid and cost effective multiparametric toxicological screening and pharmacological testing on primary human PBL and can be adapted to high-throughput-screening.°z

Non-contact imaging photoplethysmography (PPG) is a recent development in the field of physiological data acquisition, currently undergoing a large amount of research to characterize and define the range of its capabilities. Contact-based PPG techniques have been broadly used in clinical scenarios for a number of years to obtain direct information about the degree of oxygen saturation for patients. With the advent of imaging techniques, there is strong potential to enable access to additional information such as multi-dimensional blood perfusion and saturation mapping. The further development of effective opto-physiological monitoring techniques is dependent upon novel modelling techniques coupled with improved sensor design and effective signal processing methodologies. The biometric signal and imaging processing platform (bSIPP) provides a comprehensive set of features for extraction and analysis of recorded iPPG data, enabling direct comparison with other biomedical diagnostic tools such as ECG and EEG. Additionally, utilizing information about the nature of tissue structure has enabled the generation of an engineering model describing the behaviour of light during its travel through the biological tissue. This enables the estimation of the relative oxygen saturation and blood perfusion in different layers of the tissue to be calculated, which has the potential to be a useful diagnostic tool.

A Coherent Anti-Stokes Raman Scattering (CARS) microendoscope probe for early stage label-free prostate cancer diagnosis at single cell resolution is presented. The handheld CARS microendoscope probe includes a customized micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) scanning mirror as well as miniature optical and mechanical components. In our design, the excitation laser (pump and stokes beams) from the fiber is collimated, reflected by the reflecting mirror, and transmitted via a 2D MEMS scanning mirror and a micro-objective system onto the sample; emission in the epi-direction is returned through the micro-objective lens, MEMS and reflecting mirror, and collimation system, and finally the emission signal is collected by a photomultiplier tube (PMT). The exit pupil diameter of the collimator system is designed to match the diameter of the MEMS mirror and the entrance pupil diameter of the micro-objective system. The back aperture diameter of the micro-objective system is designed according to the largest MEMS scanning angle and the distance between the MEMS mirror and the back aperture. To increase the numerical aperture (NA) of the micro-objective system in order to enhance the signal collection efficiency, the back aperture diameter of the micro-objective system is enlarged with an upfront achromatic wide angle Keplerian telescope beam expander. The integration of a miniaturized micro-optics probe with optical fiber CARS microscopy opens up the possibility of in vivo molecular imaging for cancer diagnosis and surgical intervention.

We developed a spectrally-resolved fluorescence tomography (FT) system using a new source and detection unit. On the source side, we utilized a near-infrared (NIR) swept laser-based technology and on the detection side, we developed a digital micromirror device (DMD) based spectrally-resolved detection unit. We demonstrated the development of a NIR swept laser centered at 800 nm for FT, which covers the maximum absorption wavelength of a NIR fluorescence dye, indo-cyanine green (ICG) in plasma. Two different ICG samples whose absorption characteristics were slightly different were used to demonstrate the performance of the NIR swept laser-based FT system, and this FT system was able to show the difference of absorption between the ICG samples. In addition, we also developed a prototype spectrally-resolved detection unit based on the DMD. This detection system provided a spectral resolution of 15 nm and the possibility of simultaneous detection of multiple fluorescence spectra.

Leukemic cancer stem cells are both stem-like and leukemic-like. This complicates their detection as rare circulating tumor cells in peripheral blood of leukemia patients. The leukemic stem cells are also highly resistant to standard chemotherapeutic regimens so new therapeutic strategies need to be designed to kill the leukemic stem cells without killing normal stem cells. In these initial studies we have designed an antibody-targeted and fluorescent (Cy5.5) nanoparticle for targeting these leukemic stem cells and then introducing new strategies for killing them. Multicolor flow cytometric analyses were performed on a BD FACS Aria III. Human leukemic stem cell-like cell line RS4;11 (with putative immunophenotype CD123+/CD24+/CD38-/CD10-/Flt-3-) was used as a model human leukemic stem cell systems and were spiked into normal human peripheral blood cells containing normal blood stem-progenitor cells (immunophenotype CD123-/CD34+/CD38-) and Cy5.5-labeled nanoparticles with targeting molecule anti-CD123 antibody. An irrelevant antibody (CD71) which should not bind to any live leukemic stem cell or normal stem cell (binds erythrocytes) was used as a way of distinguishing between true-positive live and false-positive damaged/dead cells, the latter occurring at much higher frequencies than the very rare (e.g. 0.001 to 0.0001 percent frequency true leukemic stem cells). These studies are designed to measure the targeting sensitivity and specificity of the fluorescent nanoparticles to the putative rare leukemic stem cells with the eventual design to use the nanoparticles to direct killing therapeutic doses to the leukemic stem cells but not to the normal stem-progenitor cells.

A multimodal system combining surface sensitive sum frequency generation (SFG) vibrational spectroscopy and total-internal reflection fluorescence (TIRF) microscopy for surface and interface study was developed. Interfacial molecular structural information can be detected using SFG spectroscopy while interfacial fluorescence signal can be visualized using TIRF microscopy from the same sample. As a proof of concept experiment, SFG spectra of fluorescent polystyrene (PS) beads with different surface coverage were correlated with TIRF signal observed. Results showed that SFG signals from the ordered surfactant methyl groups were detected from the substrate surface, while signals from PS phenyl groups on the beads were not seen. Additionally, a lipid monolayer labeled using lipid-associated dye was deposited on a silica substrate and studied in different environments. The contact with water of this lipid monolayer caused SFG signal to disappear, indicating a possible lipid molecular disorder and the formation of lipid bilayers or liposomes in water. TIRF was able to visualize the presence of lipid molecules on the substrate, showing that the lipids were not removed from the substrate surface by water. The integration of the two surface sensitive techniques can simultaneously visualize interfacial molecular dynamics and characterize interfacial molecular structures in situ, which is important and is expected to find extensive applications in biological interface related research.

To observe molecular transport in a living cell, a high-speed CMOS image sensor for multi-point fluorescence correlation spectroscopy is developed. To achieve low-noise and high-speed simultaneously, a prototype CMOS image sensor is designed based on a complete pixel-parallel architecture and multi-channel pipelined pixel readout. The prototype chip with 10×10 effective pixels is fabricated in 0.18-μm CMOS image sensor technology. The pixel pitch and the photosensitive area are 56μm and 10μm in diameter without a microlens, respectively. In the experiment, the total sampling rate of 606kS/s is achieved. The measured average random noise is 24.9LSB, which is equivalent to about 2.5 electrons in average.

In living cells a manifold of processes take place simultaneously. This implies a precise regulation of intracellular ion homeostasis. In order to understand their spatio-temporal pattern comprehensively, the development of multiplexing concepts is essential. Due to the multidimensional characteristics of fluorescence dyes (absorption and emission spectra, decay time, anisotropy), the highly sensitive and non-invasive fluorescence microscopy is a versatile tool for realising multiplexing concepts. A prerequisite are analyte-specific fluorescence dyes with low cross-sensitivity to other dyes and analytes, respectively. Here, two approaches for multiparameter detection in living cells are presented. Insect salivary glands are well characterised secretory active tissues which were used as model systems to evaluate multiplexing concepts. Salivary glands secrete a KCl-rich or NaCl-rich fluid upon stimulation which is mainly regulated by intracellular Ca²⁺ as second messenger. Thus, pairwise detection of intracellular Na⁺, Cl^- and Ca²⁺ with the fluorescent dyes ANG2, MQAE and ACR were tested. Therefore, the dyes were excited simultaneously (2-photon excitation) and their corresponding fluorescence decay times were recorded within two spectral ranges using time-correlated singlephoton counting (TCSPC). A second approach presented here is based on a new TCSPC-platform covering decay time detection from picoseconds to milliseconds. Thereby, nanosecond decaying cellular fluorescence and microsecond decaying phosphorescence of Ruthenium-complexes, which is quenched by oxygen, were recorded simultaneously. In both cases changes in luminescence decay times can be linked to changes in analyte concentrations. In consequence of simultaneous excitation as well as detection, it is possible to get a deeper insight into spatio-temporal pattern in living tissues.

In fluorescence fluctuation polarization sensitive experiments, the limitations associated with detecting the rotational timescale are usually eliminated by applying fluorescence correlation spectroscopy analysis. A new method to extract the rotational correlation time of molecule in fluorescence fluctuation polarization sensitive measurements is suggested in our talk. This new method is advantageous in cases where the rotational correlation time of the fluorescent molecule is much lower than the temporal resolution of the system, or in cases where the rotational correlation time is not observed by standard autocorrelation analysis methods such as fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS) or rotational correlation functions analysis.

We present the possibility to trap cells (mouse fibroblasts, bovine spermatozoa and diatoms), to manage their position and to induce rotation, by using optical tweezers. The aim is to place them in desired positions, in order to record holographic images in a microscope configuration. Then we are able to recover the 3D shape and to calculate the biovolume of the cells starting from the reconstructed quantitative phase maps (QPMs).

In vivo cell tracking is a promising tool to improve our understanding of certain biological processes (circulating tumor cell migration, immune cell activity). Several cell tracking techniques have been developed like MRI or PET but remain ill adapted to detect rare and individual cells because of their low spatial resolution and limited sensitivity. Fluorescence detection is a promising alternative. Its sensitivity is however limited by the high tissue autofluorescence and poor visible light penetration depth. To overcome these limitations, we have developed a novel cell imaging modality, based on nearinfrared quantum dots (QDs) allowing long term cell labeling and a sensitive detection based on time-gated wide field fluorescence microscopy. We present the synthesis and characterization of Zn-Cu-In-Se / ZnS (core/shell) QDs composed of low toxicity materials. These QDs exhibit a bright emission centered around 800 nm, where absorption and scattering of tissues are minimal. These nanocrystals are coated with a new surface chemistry, which yields small, stable, bright and individual probes in the cell cytoplasm for several days after the labeling. These QDs also present a fluorescence lifetime much longer (150-200 ns) than tissue autofluorescence (5-10 ns). By combining a pulsed excitation source to a time-gated fluorescence imaging system, we show that we can efficiently discriminate the QD signal from autofluorescence and thus increase the detection sensitivity of labeled cells into tissues.

Molecular rotors are fluorophores that have a fluorescence quantum yield that depends upon intermolecular rotation. The fluorescence quantum yield, intensity and lifetime of molecular rotors all vary as functions of viscosity, as high viscosities inhibit intermolecular rotation and cause an increase in the non-radiative decay rate. As such, molecular rotors can be used to probe viscosity on microscopic scales. Here, we apply fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM) to measure the fluorescence lifetimes of three different molecular rotors, in order to determine the microscopic viscosity in two model systems with significant biological interest. First, the constituents of a novel protocell – a model of a prebiotic cell – were studied using the molecular rotors BODIPY C₁₀ and kiton red. Second, amyloid formation was investigated using the molecular rotor Cy3.

High-throughput cellular imaging is acclaimed as captivating yet challenging in biomedical diagnostics. We have demonstrated a new imaging modality, asymmetric-detection time-stretch optical microscopy (ATOM), by incorporating a simple detection scheme which is a further advancement in time-stretch microscopy – a viable solution to achieve high-speed and high-throughput cellular imaging. Through the asymmetric-detection scheme in ATOM, the time-stretch image contrast is enhanced through accessing to the phase-gradient information. With the operation in the 1 μm wavelength range, we demonstrate high-resolution and high-contrast cellular imaging in ultrafast microfluidic flow (up to 10 m/s) by ATOM – achieving an imaging throughput equivalent to ~100,000 cells/sec.

Microalgal biotechnology is a nascent yet burgeoning field for developing the next generation of sustainable feeds, fuels, and specialty chemicals. Among the issues facing the algae bioproducts industry, the lack of efficient means of cultivar screening and phenotype selection represents a critical hurdle for rapid development and diversification. To address this challenge, we have developed a multi-modal and label-free optical tool which simultaneously assesses the photosynthetic productivity and biochemical composition of single microalgal cells, and provides a means for actively sorting attractive specimen (bioprospecting) based on the spectral readout. The device integrates laser-trapping micro-Raman spectroscopy and pulse amplitude modulated (PAM) fluorometry of microalgal cells in a flow cell. Specifically, the instrument employs a dual-purpose epi-configured IR laser for single-cell trapping and Raman spectroscopy, and a high-intensity VISNIR trans-illumination LED bank for detection of variable photosystem II (PSII) fluorescence. Micro-Raman scatter of single algae cells revealed vibrational modes corresponding to the speciation and total lipid content, as well as other major biochemical pools, including total protein, carbohydrates, and carotenoids. PSII fluorescence dynamics provide a quantitative estimate of maximum photosynthetic efficiency and regulated and non-regulated non-photochemical quenching processes. The combined spectroscopic readouts provide a set of metrics for subsequent optical sorting of the cells by the laser trap for desirable biomass properties, e.g. the combination of high lipid productivity and high photosynthetic yield. Thus the device provides means for rapid evaluation and sorting of algae cultures and environmental samples for biofuels development.

Lens-free inline Holographic Microscopy (LHM) holds great promise for biomedical and industrial applications thanks to its conceptual simplicity. However, the challenge lies in achieving an image quality comparable to conventional microscopes. We demonstrate a high-throughput LHM system that is able to resolve 1.23μm-thin lines on a standard USAF 1951 test target with 1.67μm pixels at the full field-of-view (>29mm²). The system is based on a unique multiwavelength iterative-phase-retrieval method, using customized hardware and real-time post-processing software. We have evaluated our system in experiments ranging from single-cell inspection to in-vitro imaging of stem-cell colonies.

Innovative imaging methods are continuously developed to investigate the function of biological systems at the microscopic scale. As an alternative to advanced cell microscopy techniques, we are developing lensfree video microscopy that opens new ranges of capabilities, in particular at the mesoscopic level. Lensfree video microscopy allows the observation of a cell culture in an incubator over a very large field of view (24 mm²) for extended periods of time. As a result, a large set of comprehensive data can be gathered with strong statistics, both in space and time. Video lensfree microscopy can capture images of cells cultured in various physical environments. We emphasize on two different case studies: the quantitative analysis of the spontaneous network formation of HUVEC endothelial cells, and by coupling lensfree microscopy with 3D cell culture in the study of epithelial tissue morphogenesis. In summary, we demonstrate that lensfree video microscopy is a powerful tool to conduct cell assays in 2D and 3D culture experiments. The applications are in the realms of fundamental biology, tissue regeneration, drug development and toxicology studies.

A principal focus highlighting recent advances in cell based therapies concerns the development of effective treatments for osteoarthritis. Earlier clinicaltrials have shown that 80% of patients receiving mesenchymal stem cell(MSC) based treatment have improved their quality of life by alleviating pain whilst extending the life of their natural joints. The current challenge facing researchers is to identify the biological differences between the treatments that have worked and those which have shown little improvement. One possible candidate for the difference in treatment prognosis is an examination of the proliferation of the ( type) cells as they grow. To further understanding of the proliferation and differentiation of MSC, non-invasive live cell imaging techniques have been developed which capture important cell events and dynamics in cell divisions over an extended period of time. An automated image analysis procedure capable of tracking cell confluence over time has also been implemented, providing an objective and realistic estimation of cell growth within continuous live cell cultures. The proposed algorithm accounts for the halo artefacts that occur in phase microscopy. In addition to a favourable run-time performance, the method was also validated using continuous live MSC cultures, with consistent and meaningful results.

For optical transfection, cells are shortly subjected to intense, focused laser radiation which leads to a temporary opening in the cell membrane. Although the method is very efficient and ensures high cell viability, the targeting of single cells with laser pulses is a tedious and slow approach. We present first measurements aiming at an experimental setup which is suitable for high throughput and automated optical cell transfection. In our setup, cells flow through a micro flow cell where they are spatially confined. The laser radiation is focused into the cell in a way that an elongated focal region is realized. This makes the time consuming aiming of the laser beam at individual cells unnecessary and opens the possibility to develop a completely automated system. The elongated laser focal region is realized by a quasi-Bessel beam which is generated by an axicon lens setup and continuously scanned from side to side of the cell. We present test measurements of the newly employed setup and discuss its suitability to be fully integrated into a flow cell sequencing system.

We developed a light-sheet illumination microscope that can perform fast 3D imaging of transparent biological samples. The light-sheet is created by raster scanning of a Bessel Beam with one galvo-mirror. Fluorescence excited from the thin layer of the sample is de-scanned by the same galvo-mirror, and then spatially filtered by a slit so that out-of-focus fluorescence generated by the side lobes of the Bessel beam is rejected. The spatially filtered fluorescence is returned by a series of optics and is re-scanned by the same galvo-mirror across the chip of a camera such that the fluorescence image is constructed in real-time. Compared to two-photon Bessel beam excitation or other confocal line scanning approaches, our method is of lower cost, simpler, and doesn’t require calibration and synchronization of multiple galvo mirrors. We demonstrated the capability of fast 3D imaging and background rejection capabilities of this microscope with fluorescent beads embedded in PDMS.

A method for 3D tracking has been developed exploiting Digital Holography features in Microscopy (DHM). In the framework of self-consistent platform for manipulation and measurement of biological specimen we use DHM for quantitative and completely label free analysis of samples with low amplitude contrast. Tracking capability extend the potentiality of DHM allowing to monitor the motion of appropriate probes and correlate it with sample properties. Complete 3D tracking has been obtained for the probes avoiding the amplitude refocusing in traditional tracking processes. Moreover, in biology and biomedical research fields one of the main topic is the understanding of morphology and mechanics of cells and microorganisms. Biological samples present low amplitude contrast that limits the information that can be retrieved through optical bright-field microscope measurements. The main effect on light propagating in such objects is in phase. This is known as phase-retardation or phase-shift. DHM is an innovative and alternative approach in microscopy, it’s a good candidate for no-invasive and complete specimen analysis because its main characteristic is the possibility to discern between intensity and phase information performing quantitative mapping of the Optical Path Length. In this paper, the flexibility of DH is employed to analyze cell mechanics of unstained cells subjected to appropriate stimuli. DHM is used to measure all the parameters useful to understand the deformations induced by external and controlled stresses on in-vitro cells. Our configuration allows 3D tracking of micro-particles and, simultaneously, furnish quantitative phase-contrast maps. Experimental results are presented and discussed for in vitro cells.

We have devised an analytical and sorting system combining optical trapping with Raman spectroscopy in microfluidic environment in order to identify and sort biological objects, such as living cells of various prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms. Our main objective was to create a robust and universal platform for non-contact sorting of microobjects based on their Raman spectral properties. This approach allowed us to collect information about the chemical composition of the objects, such as the presence and composition of lipids, proteins, or nucleic acids without using artificial chemical probes such as fluorescent markers. The non-destructive and non-contact nature of this optical analysis and manipulation allowed us to separate individual living cells of our interest in a sterile environment and provided the possibility to cultivate the selected cells for further experiments. We used differently treated cells of algae to test and demonstrate the function of our analytical and sorting system. The devised system could find its use in many medical, biotechnological, and biological applications.

A microscopic object finds an equilibrium orientation under a laser tweezer such that a maximum of its volume lies in the region of highest electric field. Furthermore, birefringent microscopic objects show no rotational diffusion after reorienting under a linearly polarized optical trap and also are seen to follow the plane of polarization when the latter is changed using a half wave plate. We observe that a healthy human Red Blood Cell (RBC) reproduces these observations in an optical tweezer, which confirms it to be birefringent. Polarization microscopy based measurements reveal that the birefringence is confined to the cell’s dimple region and the mean value of retardation for polarized green light (λ = 546nm) is 9 ± 1.5nm. We provide a simple geometrical model that attributes the birefringence to the nature of arrangement of the phospholipid molecules of the bilayer. This predicts the observed variation in the measured birefringence, from the dimple to the rim of the cell which we further show, can serve to demarcate the extent of the dimple region. This points to the value of birefringence measurements in revealing cell membrane contours. . We extend this technique to understand the birefringence of a chicken RBC, an oblate shaped cell, wherein the slow axis is identified to be coincident with the long axis of the cell. Further, we observe the birefringence to be confined to the edges of the cell. Experiments to probe the optomechanical response of the chicken RBC are in progress.

There is an increasing need for non-invasive imaging techniques in the field of stem cell research. Label-free techniques are the best choice for assessment of stem cells because the cells remain intact after imaging and can be used for further studies such as differentiation induction. To develop a high-resolution label-free imaging system, we have been working on a low-coherence quantitative phase microscope (LC-QPM). LC-QPM is a Linnik-type interference microscope equipped with nanometer-resolution optical-path-length control and capable of obtaining three-dimensional volumetric images. The lateral and vertical resolutions of our system are respectively 0.5 and 0.93 μm and this performance allows capturing sub-cellular morphological features of live cells without labeling. Utilizing LC-QPM, we reported on three-dimensional imaging of membrane fluctuations, dynamics of filopodia, and motions of intracellular organelles. In this presentation, we report three-dimensional morphological imaging of human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPS cells). Two groups of monolayer hiPS cell cultures were prepared so that one group was cultured in a suitable culture medium that kept the cells undifferentiated, and the other group was cultured in a medium supplemented with retinoic acid, which forces the stem cells to differentiate. The volumetric images of the 2 groups show distinctive differences, especially in surface roughness. We believe that our LC-QPM system will prove useful in assessing many other stem cell conditions.

Cells sense and respond to chemical stimuli on their environment via signal transduction pathways, complex networks of proteins whose interactions transmit chemical information. This work describes an implementation of image informatics, imaging-based methodologies for studying signal transduction networks. The methodology developed focuses on studying signal transduction networks in cells that interact with 3D matrices. It utilizes shRNA-based knock down of network components, 3D high-content imaging of cells inside the matrix by spectral multi-photon microscopy, and single-cell quantification using features that describe both cell morphology and cell-matrix adhesion pattern. The methodology is applied in a pilot study of TGFβ signaling via the SMAD pathway in fibroblasts cultured inside porous collagen-GAG scaffolds, biomaterials similar to the ones used clinically to induce skin regeneration. Preliminary results suggest that knocking down all rSMAD components affects fibroblast response to TGFβ1 and TGFβ3 isoforms in different ways, and suggest a potential role for SMAD1 and SMAD5 in regulating TGFβ isoform response. These preliminary results need to be verified with proteomic results that can provide solid evidence about the particular role of individual components of the SMAD pathway.

It is well-known that light transport can be well described using Maxwell’s electromagnetic theory. In biological tissue, the scattering particles cause the interaction of scattered waves from neighboring particles. Since such interaction cannot be ignored, multiple scattering occurs. The theoretical solution of multiple scattering is complicated. A suitable description is that the wavelike behavior of light is ignored and the transport of an individual photon is considered to be absorbed or scattered. This is known as the Radiative Transfer Equation (RTE) theory. Analytical solutions to the RTE that explicitly describes photon migration can be obtained by introducing some proper approximations. One of the most popular models used in the field of tissue optics is the Diffusion Approximation (DA). In this study, we report on the results of our initial study of optical properties of ex vivo normal and cancerous prostate tissues and how tissue parameters affect the near infrared light transporting in the two types of tissues. The time-resolved transport of light is simulated as an impulse isotropic point source of energy within a homogeneous unbounded medium with different absorption and scattering properties of cancerous and normal prostate tissues. Light source is also modulated sinusoidally to yield a varied fluence rate in frequency domain at a distant observation point within the cancerous and normal prostate tissues. Due to difference of the absorption and scattering coefficients between cancerous and normal tissues, the expansion of light pulse, intensity, phase are found to be different.

The fluorophores of malignant human breast cells change their compositions that may be exposed in the fluorescence spectroscopy and blind source separation method. The content of the fluorophores mixture media such as tryptophan, collagen, elastin, NADH, and flavin were varied according to the cancer development. The native fluorescence spectra of these key fluorophores mixture media excited by the selective excitation wavelengths of 300 nm and 340 nm were analyzed using a blind source separation method: Nonnegative Matrix Factorization (NMF). The results show that the contribution from tryptophan, NADH and flavin to the fluorescence spectra of the mixture media is proportional to the content of each fluorophore. These data present a possibility that native fluorescence spectra decomposed by NMF can be used as potential native biomarkers for cancer detection evaluation of the cancer.

Obesity is becoming a big health problem in these days. Since increased body weight is due to increased number and size of the triglyceride-storing adipocytes, many researchers are working on differentiation conditions and processes of adipocytes. Adipocytes also work as regulators of whole-body energy homeostasis by secreting several proteins that regulate processes as diverse as haemostasis, blood pressure, immune function, angiogenesis and energy balance. 3T3-L1 cells are widely used cell line for studying adipogenesis because it can differentiate into an adipocyte-like phenotype under appropriate conditions. In this paper, we propose an effective fluorescence lifetime imaging technique which can easily distinguish lipids in membrane and those in lipid droplets. Nile red dyes are attached to lipids in 3T3-L1 cells. Fluorescence lifetime images were taken for 2 week during differentiation procedure of 3T3-L1 cells into adipocytes. We used 488 nm pulsed laser with 5MHz repetition rate and emission wavelength is 520 nm of Nile Red fluorescent dye. Results clearly show that the lifetime of Nile red in lipid droplets are smaller than those in cell membrane. Our results suggest that fluorescence lifetime imaging can be a very powerful tool to monitor lipid droplet formation in adipocytes from 3T3-L1 cells.

The effect of blue and red light mixture and white-light (RGB) from monochromatic light-emitting diodes on growth and morphogenesis of sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum) plantlets in vitro, was investigated. Light treatments with blue/red light intensity percentage ratio 70/30, 50/50, 40/60, 30/70, and also white-LED light were applied during a period of 20 days with a photoperiod of 16 h per day. Results indicate that the blue/red light blend ratio of the illumination system plays a major role in fresh weight, length, and shoot multiplication of plantlets cultured in vitro. White-light via blended primary colors monochromatic LEDs illumination of the plantlets culture was also evaluated and compared with blue/red lighting

The objective of this work was to design an automated image cytometry tool for determination of various retinal vascular parameters including extraction of features that are relevant to postnatal retinal vascular development, and the progression of diabetic retinopathy. To confirm the utility and accuracy of the software, retinal trypsin digest from TSP1-/- and diabetic Akita/+; TSP1-/- mice were analyzed. TSP1 is a critical inhibitor of development of retinopathies and lack of TSP1 exacerbates progression of early diabetic retinopathies. Loss of vascular cells of and gain more acellular capillaries as two major signs of diabetic retinopathies were used to classify a retina as normal or injured. This software allows quantification and high throughput assessment of retinopathy changes associated with diabetes.

Here we report a novel label free, high contrast and quantitative method for imaging live cells. The technique reconstructs an image from overlapping diffraction patterns using a ptychographical algorithm. The algorithm utilises both amplitude and phase data from the sample to report on quantitative changes related to the refractive index (RI) and thickness of the specimen. We report the ability of this technique to generate high contrast images, to visualise neurite elongation in neuronal cells, and to provide measure of cell proliferation.

Superoxide anion is the primary oxygen free radical generated in mitochondria that causes intracellular oxidative stress. The lack of a method to directly monitor superoxide concentration in vivo in real time has severely hindered our understanding on its pathophysiology. We made transgenic zebrafish to specifically express fluorescent proteins, which are recently developed as reversible superoxide-specific indicators, in the liver. A fiber-optic fluorescent probe was used to noninvasively monitor superoxide generation in the liver in real time. The fish were placed in microfluidic channels for manipulation and reagents administration. Several superoxide-inducing and scavenging reagents were administrated onto the fish to investigate their effects on superoxide anion balancing. The biochemical dynamics of superoxide due to the application reagents were revealed in the transient behaviors of fluorescence time courses. With the ability to monitor superoxide dynamics in vivo in real time, this method can be used as an in vivo pharmaceutical screening platform.

In our study, two carbazole-based cyanines, 3,6-bis[2-(1-methylpyridinium)vinyl]-9-methyl carbazole diiodide (A) and 6,6'-bis[2-(1-methylpyridinium)vinyl]-bis(9-methyl-carbazol-3yl)methane diiodide (B) were synthesized and employed as light-up probes for DNA and cell imaging. Both of the cyanine probes possess a symmetric structure and bis-cationic center. The obvious induced circular dichroism signals in circular dichroism spectra reveal that the molecules can specifically interact with DNA. Strong fluorescence enhancement is observed when these two cyanines are bound to DNA. These cyanine probes show high binding affinity to oligonucleotides but different binding preferences to various secondary structures. Confocal microscopy images of fixed cell stained by the probes exhibit strong brightness and high contrast in nucleus with a very low cytoplasmic background.

Melittin is an anti-bacterial and hemolytic toxic peptide found in bee venom. Cell lysis behavior of peptides has been widely investigated, but the exact interaction mechanism of lytic peptides with lipid membranes and its constituents has not been understood completely. In this paper we study the melittin interaction with lipid plasma membranes in real time using non-invasive and non-contact fluorescence interference contrast microscopy (FLIC). Particularly the interaction of melittin with plasma membranes was studied in a controlled molecular environment, where these plasma membrane were composed of saturated lipid, 1,2-diphytanoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DPhPC) and unsaturated lipid, 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine(DOPC) with and without cholesterol. We found out that melittin starts to form nanometer size pores in the plasma membranes shortly after interacting with membranes. But the addition of cholesterol in plasma membrane slows down the pore formation process. Our results show that inclusion of cholesterol to the plasma membranes make them more resilient towards pore formation and lysis of membrane.

Continuing desire for higher-speed laser scanning fluorescence microscopy (LSFM) and progressive advancement in ultrafast and sensitive photodetectors might imply that our conventional understanding of LSFM is not adequate when approaching to the intrinsic speed limit — fluorescence lifetime. In this regard, we here revisit the theoretical framework of LSFM and evaluate its general performance in lifetime-limited and noise-limited regimes. Our model suggests that there still exists an order-of-magnitude gap between the current LSFM speed and the intrinsic limit. An imaging frame rate of > 100 kHz could be viable with the emerging laser-scanning techniques using ultrafast wavelength-swept sources, or optical time-stretch.

Neural microelectrodes are well established tools for delivering therapeutic electrical pulses, and recording neural electrophysiological signals. However, long term implanted neural probes often become functionally impaired by tissue encapsulation. At present, analyzing this immune reaction is only feasible with post-mortem histology; currently no means for specific in vivo monitoring exist and most applicable imaging modalities provide no sufficient resolution for a cellular measurement in deep brain regions. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a well developed imaging modality, providing cellular resolution and up to 1.2 mm imaging depth in brain tissue. Further more, a fiber based spectral domain OCT was shown to be capable of minimally invasive brain intervention. In the present study, we propose to use a fiber based spectral domain OCT to monitor the the progression of the tissue's immune response and scar encapsulation of microprobes in a rat animal model. We developed an integrated OCT fiber catheter consisting of an implantable ferrule based fiber cannula and a fiber patch cable. The fiber cannula was 18.5 mm long, including a 10.5 mm ceramic ferrule and a 8.0 mm long, 125 μm single mode fiber. A mating sleeve was used to fix and connect the fiber cannula to the OCT fiber cable. Light attenuation between the OCT fiber cable and the fiber cannula through the mating sleeve was measured and minimized. The fiber cannula was implanted in rat brain together with a microelectrode in sight used as a foreign body to induce the brain tissue immune reaction. Preliminary data showed a significant enhancement of the OCT backscattering signal during the brain tissue scarring process, while the OCT signal of the flexible microelectrode was getting weaker consequentially.

Knowledge of heat transfer in biological bodies has many diagnostic and therapeutic applications involving either raising or lowering of temperature, and often requires precise monitoring of the spatial distribution of thermal histories that are produced during a treatment protocol. The present paper therefore aims to design and implementation of laser therapeutic and imaging system used for carious tracking and drilling by develop a mathematical algorithm using Hilbert transform for edge detection of photo–thermal imaging. photothermal imaging has the ability to penetrate and yield information about an opaque medium well beyond the range of conventional optical imaging. Owing to this ability, Q- switching Nd:YAG laser at wavelength 1064 nm has been extensively used in human teeth to study the sub-surface deposition of laser radiation. The high absorption coefficient of the carious rather than normal region rise its temperature generating IR thermal radiation captured by high resolution thermal camera. Changing the pulse repetition frequency of the laser pulses affects the penetration depth of the laser, which can provide three-dimensional (3D) images in arbitrary planes and allow imaging deep within a solid tissue.

In this work it was used fluorescence lifetime imaging (FLIM) to analyze biochemical composition of atherosclerotic plaque. For this purpose an animal experimentation was done with New Zealand rabbits divided into two groups: a control group of 4 rabbits that received a regular diet for 0, 20, 40 and 60 days; and an experimental group of 9 rabbits, divided in 3 subgroups, that were fed with 1% cholesterol diet for 20, 40 and 60 days respectively. The aortas slices stained with europium chlortetracycline were analyzed by FLIM exciting samples at 440 nm. The results shown an increase in the lifetime imaging of rabbits fed with cholesterol. It was observed that is possible to detect the metabolic changes associated with atherosclerosis at an early stage using FLIM technique exciting the tissue around 440 nm and observing autofluorescence lifetime. Lifetimes longer than 1.75 ns suggest the presence of porphyrins in the tissue and consequently, inflammation and the presence of macrophages.

Analysis from the plasmas of rabbits subjected to high-cholesterol diets were performed by fluorescence spectroscopy using three biossensors: Europium-Chlortetracycline (EuCTc), Evans Blue (EB), and Thioflavin T (ThT). For this purpose an animal experimentation was done with New Zealand rabbits divided into two groups: control group of 6 rabbits that received a regular diet for 60 days; and experimental group of 9 rabbits, that were fed with 1% cholesterol for 60 days. The results from spectroscopic analysis have shown that the EuCTc marker emission intensity increases in the presence of plaque formation. The EB emission intensity remained constant for control and experimental groups. The ThT presented an increase in the emission intensity and a modification in the spectra shape with 60 days of diet. The studied biomarkers may not yet be specific in the

Recently a few demonstration on the use of Photodynamic Reaction as possibility to eliminate larvae that transmit diseases for men has been successfully demonstrated. This promising tool cannot be vastly used due to many problems, including the lake of investigation concerning the mechanisms of larvae killing as well as security concerning the use of photosensitizers in open environment. In this study, we investigate some of the mechanisms in which porphyrin (Photogem) is incorporated on the Aedes aegypti larvae previously to illumination and killing. Larvae at second instar were exposed to the photosensitizer and after 30 minutes imaged by a confocal fluorescence microscope. It was observed the presence of photosensitizer in the gut and at the digestive tract of the larva. Fluorescence-Lifetime Imaging showed greater photosensitizer concentration in the intestinal wall of the samples, which produces a strong decrease of the Photogem fluorescence lifetime. For Photodynamic Therapy exposition to different light doses and concentrations of porphyrin were employed. Three different light sources (LED, Fluorescent lamp, Sun light) also were tested. Sun light and fluorescent lamp shows close to 100% of mortality after 24 hrs. of illumination. These results indicate the potential use of photodynamic effect against the LARVAE of Aedes aegypti.