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High‐throughput lensfree imaging and characterization of a heterogeneous cell solution on a chip
Author(s) -
Su TingWei,
Seo Sungkyu,
Erlinger Anthony,
Ozcan Aydogan
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
biotechnology and bioengineering
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.136
H-Index - 189
eISSN - 1097-0290
pISSN - 0006-3592
DOI - 10.1002/bit.22116
Subject(s) - throughput , chip , characterization (materials science) , shadow (psychology) , computer science , microscope , volume (thermodynamics) , microscopy , sample (material) , particle (ecology) , biomedical engineering , computer vision , artificial intelligence , materials science , nanotechnology , optics , physics , chemistry , chromatography , engineering , psychology , telecommunications , oceanography , quantum mechanics , geology , wireless , psychotherapist
A high‐throughput on‐chip imaging platform that can rapidly monitor and characterize various cell types within a heterogeneous solution over a depth‐of‐field of ∼4 mm and a field‐of‐view of ∼10 cm 2 is introduced. This powerful system can rapidly image/monitor multiple layers of cells, within a volume of ∼4 mL all in parallel without the need for any lenses, microscope‐objectives or any mechanical scanning. In this high‐throughput lensless imaging scheme, the classical diffraction pattern (i.e., the shadow) of each micro‐particle within the entire sample volume is detected in less than a second using an opto‐electronic sensor chip. The acquired shadow image is then digitally processed using a custom developed “decision algorithm” to enable both the identification of the particle location in 3D and the characterization of each micro‐particle type within the sample volume. Through experimental results, we show that different cell types (e.g., red blood cells, fibroblasts, etc.) or other micro‐particles all exhibit uniquely different shadow patterns and therefore can be rapidly identified without any ambiguity using the developed decision algorithm, enabling high‐throughput characterization of a heterogeneous solution. This lensfree on chip cell imaging platform shows a significant promise especially for medical diagnostic applications relevant to global health problems, where compact and cost‐effective diagnostic tools are urgently needed in resource limited settings. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2009; 102: 856–868. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.