Open AccessOptophysiology of cardiomyocytes: characterizing cellular motion with quantitative phase imaging
Author(s) -
Christine Cordeiro,
Oscar J. Abilez,
Georges Goetz,
Tushar Gupta,
Yan Zhuge,
Olav Solgaard,
Daniel Palanker
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
biomedical optics express
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.362
H-Index - 86
ISSN - 2156-7085
DOI - 10.1364/boe.8.004652
Subject(s) - phase imaging , cell , biomedical engineering , biological system , optical imaging , optics , chemistry , biology , microscopy , physics , medicine , biochemistry
Quantitative phase imaging enables precise characterization of cellular shape and motion. Variation of cell volume in populations of cardiomyocytes can help distinguish their types, while changes in optical thickness during beating cycle identify contraction and relaxation periods and elucidate cell dynamics. Parameters such as characteristic cycle shape, beating frequency, duration and regularity can be used to classify stem-cell derived cardiomyocytes according to their health and, potentially, cell type. Unlike classical patch-clamp based electrophysiological characterization of cardiomyocytes, this interferometric approach enables rapid and non-destructive analysis of large populations of cells, with longitudinal follow-up, and applications to tissue regeneration, personalized medicine, and drug testing.