In a <\/span>recent publication<\/span><\/a> in <\/span>Nature Methods<\/span><\/i>, the prolific Professor Ji-Xin Cheng envisions the creation of \u201ca high-resolution chemical cellular atlas\u201d of living organisms, providing scientists and medical practitioners with an accessible map of the smallest building blocks that make up the complex edifice of life itself. The paper describes a novel methodology which represents a promising step in the direction of realizing that ambitious goal, with the support of a <\/span>MIRA grant <\/span><\/a>from the NIH\u2019s National Institute of General Medical Sciences and a Small Business Innovation Research Award.<\/span><\/p>\n Fluorescence-detected mid-infrared photothermal microscopy (FILM) is a groundbreaking method which permits the study of key chemical processes in the body at an unprecedented level; that of individual organelles called lysosomes. These miniscule cellular components are found in nearly all animal cells, where they contribute to essential tasks such as digestion by breaking down various materials (like proteins and lipids). The metabolic changes within lysosomes have significant influence on an organism\u2019s overall health, but there has been no viable method for measuring these chemical signatures <\/span>in vivo<\/span><\/i> \u2026 until now.<\/span><\/p>\n A product of converging expertise in chemistry, engineering, and biology, FILM combines Cheng\u2019s pioneering mid-infrared photothermal (MIP) microscopy with fluorescent labeling techniques, a computational de-noising method called boxcar demodulation, and AI-assisted interpretation. The method\u2019s unprecedented capacity to map the metabolic activity and composition of individual lysosomes in living cells and organisms is documented in the <\/span>Nature Methods<\/span><\/i> paper, which discusses some initial results, including observations on the heterogeneity of metabolic processes (lipolysis and proteolysis, the breakdown of lipids and proteins) across lysosomes within the same cell.<\/span><\/p>\n FILM demonstrates remarkable potential for mapping and assessing dynamic changes to intra-cellular chemical processes \u201cwithin their native context,\u201d promising fresh discoveries about the changes experienced by the body during aging or illness. The technology is licensed by Photothermal Spectroscopy Corp, a scientific instrument company co-founded by Cheng. It also represents an early collaborative effort by members of the recently-formed <\/span>Chemical Imaging Initiative<\/span><\/a>, which brings together Boston University faculty from diverse disciplines in pursuit of \u201cdecoding the chemistry of life.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"\/eng\/files\/2024\/03\/ece.faculty.24.cheng_-150x150.jpg\")