Label-free Imaging of Cells and Tissues
Mentors
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Michelle Sander
Associate Professor, BME, ECE, MSE
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Samuel Bechtold
PhD Candidate
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Vera Staub
PhD Candidate
Project Description
Photothermal microscopes have proven excellent options for chemical imaging in the mid-infrared spectral region providing high sensitivity, specificity and spatial resolution comparable to fluorescence and optical microscopy. By targeting vibrational bonds, molecular composition can be analyzed in a label-free manner, without requiring fluorescent stains or tags. In addition, with a time-resolved photothermal imaging, checmical content as well as thermal diffusion properties can be simultaneously acquired, providing rich information regarding cellular properties from composition to structure as well as thermal resistance.
As part of this project, various cells and tissues will be analyzed for their protein, lipid and nucleic acid content and linked to different stages of cell development and potential disease states.
Research Goals
Learning Goals
Timeline
Weeks 1-2: Literature review and introduction to project, lab training.
Weeks 3-4: Learning photothermal microscopy.
Weeks 5-7: Imaging of various samples, optimization of microscope parameters.
Weeks 8-9: Additional experiments and data analysis.
Week 10: Summarizing results and research presentation.