1
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Pirone D, Montella A, Sirico DG, Mugnano M, Villone MM, Bianco V, Miccio L, Porcelli AM, Kurelac I, Capasso M, Iolascon A, Maffettone PL, Memmolo P, Ferraro P. Label-free liquid biopsy through the identification of tumor cells by machine learning-powered tomographic phase imaging flow cytometry. Sci Rep 2023; 13:6042. [PMID: 37055398 PMCID: PMC10101968 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-32110-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2023] [Accepted: 03/21/2023] [Indexed: 04/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Image-based identification of circulating tumor cells in microfluidic cytometry condition is one of the most challenging perspectives in the Liquid Biopsy scenario. Here we show a machine learning-powered tomographic phase imaging flow cytometry system capable to provide high-throughput 3D phase-contrast tomograms of each single cell. In fact, we show that discrimination of tumor cells against white blood cells is potentially achievable with the aid of artificial intelligence in a label-free flow-cyto-tomography method. We propose a hierarchical machine learning decision-maker, working on a set of features calculated from the 3D tomograms of the cells' refractive index. We prove that 3D morphological features are adequately distinctive to identify tumor cells versus the white blood cell background in the first stage and, moreover, in recognizing the tumor type at the second decision step. Proof-of-concept experiments are shown, in which two different tumor cell lines, namely neuroblastoma cancer cells and ovarian cancer cells, are used against monocytes. The reported results allow claiming the identification of tumor cells with a success rate higher than 97% and with an accuracy over 97% in discriminating between the two cancer cell types, thus opening in a near future the route to a new Liquid Biopsy tool for detecting and classifying circulating tumor cells in blood by stain-free method.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniele Pirone
- CNR-ISASI, Institute of Applied Sciences and Intelligent Systems "Eduardo Caianiello", Via Campi Flegrei 34, 80078, Pozzuoli, Naples, Italy
| | - Annalaura Montella
- CEINGE Advanced Biotechnologies, Naples, Italy
- DMMBM, Department of Molecular Medicine and Medical Biotechnology, University of Naples "Federico II", Naples, Italy
| | - Daniele G Sirico
- CNR-ISASI, Institute of Applied Sciences and Intelligent Systems "Eduardo Caianiello", Via Campi Flegrei 34, 80078, Pozzuoli, Naples, Italy
| | - Martina Mugnano
- Department of Chemical, Materials and Production Engineering, DICMaPI, University of Naples "Federico II", Piazzale Tecchio 80, 80125, Naples, Italy
| | - Massimiliano M Villone
- Department of Chemical, Materials and Production Engineering, DICMaPI, University of Naples "Federico II", Piazzale Tecchio 80, 80125, Naples, Italy
| | - Vittorio Bianco
- CNR-ISASI, Institute of Applied Sciences and Intelligent Systems "Eduardo Caianiello", Via Campi Flegrei 34, 80078, Pozzuoli, Naples, Italy
| | - Lisa Miccio
- CNR-ISASI, Institute of Applied Sciences and Intelligent Systems "Eduardo Caianiello", Via Campi Flegrei 34, 80078, Pozzuoli, Naples, Italy
| | - Anna Maria Porcelli
- Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology (FABIT), University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
- Interdepartmental Centre for Industrial Research 'Scienze Della Vita e Tecnologie per La Salute', University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
- Centre for Applied Biomedical Research (CRBA), University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Ivana Kurelac
- Centre for Applied Biomedical Research (CRBA), University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
- DIMEC, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, Centro di Studio e Ricerca Sulle Neoplasie (CSR) Ginecologiche, Alma Mater Studiorum-University of Bologna, 40138, Bologna, Italy
| | - Mario Capasso
- CEINGE Advanced Biotechnologies, Naples, Italy
- DMMBM, Department of Molecular Medicine and Medical Biotechnology, University of Naples "Federico II", Naples, Italy
| | - Achille Iolascon
- CEINGE Advanced Biotechnologies, Naples, Italy
- DMMBM, Department of Molecular Medicine and Medical Biotechnology, University of Naples "Federico II", Naples, Italy
| | - Pier Luca Maffettone
- Department of Chemical, Materials and Production Engineering, DICMaPI, University of Naples "Federico II", Piazzale Tecchio 80, 80125, Naples, Italy
| | - Pasquale Memmolo
- CNR-ISASI, Institute of Applied Sciences and Intelligent Systems "Eduardo Caianiello", Via Campi Flegrei 34, 80078, Pozzuoli, Naples, Italy.
| | - Pietro Ferraro
- CNR-ISASI, Institute of Applied Sciences and Intelligent Systems "Eduardo Caianiello", Via Campi Flegrei 34, 80078, Pozzuoli, Naples, Italy.
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2
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Valentino M, Bianco V, Miccio L, Memmolo P, Brancato V, Libretti P, Gambacorta M, Salvatore M, Ferraro P. Beyond conventional microscopy: Observing kidney tissues by means of fourier ptychography. Front Physiol 2023; 14:1120099. [PMID: 36860516 PMCID: PMC9968938 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2023.1120099] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2022] [Accepted: 02/01/2023] [Indexed: 02/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Kidney microscopy is a mainstay in studying the morphological structure, physiology and pathology of kidney tissues, as histology provides important results for a reliable diagnosis. A microscopy modality providing at same time high-resolution images and a wide field of view could be very useful for analyzing the whole architecture and the functioning of the renal tissue. Recently, Fourier Ptychography (FP) has been proofed to yield images of biology samples such as tissues and in vitro cells while providing high resolution and large field of view, thus making it a unique and attractive opportunity for histopathology. Moreover, FP offers tissue imaging with high contrast assuring visualization of small desirable features, although with a stain-free mode that avoids any chemical process in histopathology. Here we report an experimental measuring campaign for creating the first comprehensive and extensive collection of images of kidney tissues captured by this FP microscope. We show that FP microscopy unlocks a new opportunity for the physicians to observe and judge renal tissue slides through the novel FP quantitative phase-contrast microscopy. Phase-contrast images of kidney tissue are analyzed by comparing them with the corresponding renal images taken under a conventional bright-field microscope both for stained and unstained tissue samples of different thicknesses. In depth discussion on the advantages and limitations of this new stain-free microscopy modality is reported, showing its usefulness over the classical light microscopy and opening a potential route for using FP in clinical practice for histopathology of kidney.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marika Valentino
- National Research Council (CNR) of Italy, Institute of Applied Sciences and Intelligent Systems (ISASI), Pozzuoli, Italy,Department of Electric and Information Technologies Engineering, University of Naples “Federico II”, Naples, Italy
| | - Vittorio Bianco
- National Research Council (CNR) of Italy, Institute of Applied Sciences and Intelligent Systems (ISASI), Pozzuoli, Italy,*Correspondence: Vittorio Bianco, ; Marcello Gambacorta,
| | - Lisa Miccio
- National Research Council (CNR) of Italy, Institute of Applied Sciences and Intelligent Systems (ISASI), Pozzuoli, Italy
| | - Pasquale Memmolo
- National Research Council (CNR) of Italy, Institute of Applied Sciences and Intelligent Systems (ISASI), Pozzuoli, Italy
| | | | | | - Marcello Gambacorta
- IRCCS SYNLAB SDN, Naples, Italy,*Correspondence: Vittorio Bianco, ; Marcello Gambacorta,
| | | | - Pietro Ferraro
- National Research Council (CNR) of Italy, Institute of Applied Sciences and Intelligent Systems (ISASI), Pozzuoli, Italy
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3
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Naseri Kouzehgarani G, Kandel ME, Sakakura M, Dupaty JS, Popescu G, Gillette MU. Circadian Volume Changes in Hippocampal Glia Studied by Label-Free Interferometric Imaging. Cells 2022; 11:2073. [PMID: 35805157 PMCID: PMC9265588 DOI: 10.3390/cells11132073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2022] [Revised: 06/02/2022] [Accepted: 06/17/2022] [Indexed: 12/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Complex brain functions, including learning and memory, arise in part from the modulatory role of astrocytes on neuronal circuits. Functionally, the dentate gyrus (DG) exhibits differences in the acquisition of long-term potentiation (LTP) between day and night. We hypothesize that the dynamic nature of astrocyte morphology plays an important role in the functional circuitry of hippocampal learning and memory, specifically in the DG. Standard microscopy techniques, such as differential interference contrast (DIC), present insufficient contrast for detecting changes in astrocyte structure and function and are unable to inform on the intrinsic structure of the sample in a quantitative manner. Recently, gradient light interference microscopy (GLIM) has been developed to upgrade a DIC microscope with quantitative capabilities such as single-cell dry mass and volume characterization. Here, we present a methodology for combining GLIM and electrophysiology to quantify the astrocyte morphological behavior over the day-night cycle. Colocalized measurements of GLIM and fluorescence allowed us to quantify the dry masses and volumes of hundreds of astrocytes. Our results indicate that, on average, there is a 25% cell volume reduction during the nocturnal cycle. Remarkably, this cell volume change takes place at constant dry mass, which suggests that the volume regulation occurs primarily through aqueous medium exchange with the environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ghazal Naseri Kouzehgarani
- Neuroscience Program, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61820, USA;
- Beckman Institute for Advanced Science & Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61820, USA; (M.E.K.); (M.S.); (G.P.)
| | - Mikhail E. Kandel
- Beckman Institute for Advanced Science & Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61820, USA; (M.E.K.); (M.S.); (G.P.)
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61820, USA
| | - Masayoshi Sakakura
- Beckman Institute for Advanced Science & Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61820, USA; (M.E.K.); (M.S.); (G.P.)
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61820, USA
| | - Joshua S. Dupaty
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Mercer University, Macon, GA 31207, USA;
| | - Gabriel Popescu
- Beckman Institute for Advanced Science & Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61820, USA; (M.E.K.); (M.S.); (G.P.)
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61820, USA
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61820, USA
| | - Martha U. Gillette
- Neuroscience Program, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61820, USA;
- Beckman Institute for Advanced Science & Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61820, USA; (M.E.K.); (M.S.); (G.P.)
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61820, USA
- Department of Cell & Developmental Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61820, USA
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Pirone D, Sirico D, Miccio L, Bianco V, Mugnano M, Ferraro P, Memmolo P. Speeding up reconstruction of 3D tomograms in holographic flow cytometry via deep learning. LAB ON A CHIP 2022; 22:793-804. [PMID: 35076055 DOI: 10.1039/d1lc01087e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
Tomographic flow cytometry by digital holography is an emerging imaging modality capable of collecting multiple views of moving and rotating cells with the aim of recovering their refractive index distribution in 3D. Although this modality allows us to access high-resolution imaging with high-throughput, the huge amount of time-lapse holographic images to be processed (hundreds of digital holograms per cell) constitutes the actual bottleneck. This prevents the system from being suitable for lab-on-a-chip platforms in real-world applications, where fast analysis of measured data is mandatory. Here we demonstrate a significant speeding-up reconstruction of phase-contrast tomograms by introducing in the processing pipeline a multi-scale fully-convolutional context aggregation network. Although it was originally developed in the context of semantic image analysis, we demonstrate for the first time that it can be successfully adapted to a holographic lab-on-chip platform for achieving 3D tomograms through a faster computational process. We trained the network with input-output image pairs to reproduce the end-to-end holographic reconstruction process, i.e. recovering quantitative phase maps (QPMs) of single cells from their digital holograms. Then, the sequence of QPMs of the same rotating cell is used to perform the tomographic reconstruction. The proposed approach significantly reduces the computational time for retrieving tomograms, thus making them available in a few seconds instead of tens of minutes, while essentially preserving the high-content information of tomographic data. Moreover, we have accomplished a compact deep convolutional neural network parameterization that can fit into on-chip SRAM and a small memory footprint, thus demonstrating its possible exploitation to provide onboard computations for lab-on-chip devices with low processing hardware resources.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniele Pirone
- CNR-ISASI, Institute of Applied Sciences and Intelligent Systems "E. Caianiello", Via Campi Flegrei 34, 80078 Pozzuoli, Napoli, Italy.
- DIETI, Department of Electrical Engineering and Information Technologies, University of Naples "Federico II", via Claudio 21, 80125 Napoli, Italy
| | - Daniele Sirico
- CNR-ISASI, Institute of Applied Sciences and Intelligent Systems "E. Caianiello", Via Campi Flegrei 34, 80078 Pozzuoli, Napoli, Italy.
| | - Lisa Miccio
- CNR-ISASI, Institute of Applied Sciences and Intelligent Systems "E. Caianiello", Via Campi Flegrei 34, 80078 Pozzuoli, Napoli, Italy.
| | - Vittorio Bianco
- CNR-ISASI, Institute of Applied Sciences and Intelligent Systems "E. Caianiello", Via Campi Flegrei 34, 80078 Pozzuoli, Napoli, Italy.
| | - Martina Mugnano
- CNR-ISASI, Institute of Applied Sciences and Intelligent Systems "E. Caianiello", Via Campi Flegrei 34, 80078 Pozzuoli, Napoli, Italy.
| | - Pietro Ferraro
- CNR-ISASI, Institute of Applied Sciences and Intelligent Systems "E. Caianiello", Via Campi Flegrei 34, 80078 Pozzuoli, Napoli, Italy.
| | - Pasquale Memmolo
- CNR-ISASI, Institute of Applied Sciences and Intelligent Systems "E. Caianiello", Via Campi Flegrei 34, 80078 Pozzuoli, Napoli, Italy.
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Lee AJ, Yoon D, Han S, Hugonnet H, Park W, Park JK, Nam Y, Park Y. Label-free monitoring of 3D cortical neuronal growth in vitro using optical diffraction tomography. BIOMEDICAL OPTICS EXPRESS 2021; 12:6928-6939. [PMID: 34858689 PMCID: PMC8606138 DOI: 10.1364/boe.439404] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2021] [Revised: 09/17/2021] [Accepted: 09/18/2021] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
The highly complex central nervous systems of mammals are often studied using three-dimensional (3D) in vitro primary neuronal cultures. A coupled confocal microscopy and immunofluorescence labeling are widely utilized for visualizing the 3D structures of neurons. However, this requires fixation of the neurons and is not suitable for monitoring an identical sample at multiple time points. Thus, we propose a label-free monitoring method for 3D neuronal growth based on refractive index tomograms obtained by optical diffraction tomography. The 3D morphology of the neurons was clearly visualized, and the developmental processes of neurite outgrowth in 3D spaces were analyzed for individual neurons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ariel J Lee
- Department of Physics, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea
- KAIST Institute for Health Science and Technology, KAIST, Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea
- Current Affiliation: Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Contributed equally
| | - DongJo Yoon
- Department of Bio and Brain Engineering, KAIST, Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea
- Contributed equally
| | - SeungYun Han
- Department of Physics, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea
- KAIST Institute for Health Science and Technology, KAIST, Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea
- Current Affiliation: Department of Applied Physics, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
- Contributed equally
| | - Herve Hugonnet
- Department of Physics, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea
- KAIST Institute for Health Science and Technology, KAIST, Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea
| | - WeiSun Park
- Department of Physics, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea
- KAIST Institute for Health Science and Technology, KAIST, Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea
| | - Je-Kyun Park
- Department of Bio and Brain Engineering, KAIST, Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea
| | - YoonKey Nam
- Department of Bio and Brain Engineering, KAIST, Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea
| | - YongKeun Park
- Department of Physics, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea
- KAIST Institute for Health Science and Technology, KAIST, Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea
- Tomocube Inc., Daejeon, Republic of Korea
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Kleiber A, Kraus D, Henkel T, Fritzsche W. Review: tomographic imaging flow cytometry. LAB ON A CHIP 2021; 21:3655-3666. [PMID: 34514484 DOI: 10.1039/d1lc00533b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Within the last decades, conventional flow cytometry (FC) has evolved as a powerful measurement method in clinical diagnostics, biology, life sciences and healthcare. Imaging flow cytometry (IFC) extends the power of traditional FC by adding high resolution optical and spectroscopic information. However, the conventional IFC only provides a 2D projection of a 3D object. To overcome this limitation, tomographic imaging flow cytometry (tIFC) was developed to access 3D information about the target particles. The goal of tIFC is to visualize surfaces and internal structures in a holistic way. This review article gives an overview of the past and current developments in tIFC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreas Kleiber
- Leibniz Institute of Photonic Technology, Albert-Einstein-Straße 9, D-07745 Jena, Germany
| | - Daniel Kraus
- Leibniz Institute of Photonic Technology, Albert-Einstein-Straße 9, D-07745 Jena, Germany
| | - Thomas Henkel
- Leibniz Institute of Photonic Technology, Albert-Einstein-Straße 9, D-07745 Jena, Germany
| | - Wolfgang Fritzsche
- Leibniz Institute of Photonic Technology, Albert-Einstein-Straße 9, D-07745 Jena, Germany
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Mariano S, Tacconi S, Fidaleo M, Rossi M, Dini L. Micro and Nanoplastics Identification: Classic Methods and Innovative Detection Techniques. FRONTIERS IN TOXICOLOGY 2021; 3:636640. [PMID: 35295124 PMCID: PMC8915801 DOI: 10.3389/ftox.2021.636640] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2020] [Accepted: 01/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Micro and nanoplastics are fragments with dimensions less than a millimeter invading all terrestrial and marine environments. They have become a major global environmental issue in recent decades and, indeed, recent scientific studies have highlighted the presence of these fragments all over the world even in environments that were thought to be unspoiled. Analysis of micro/nanoplastics in isolated samples from abiotic and biotic environmental matrices has become increasingly common. Hence, the need to find valid techniques to identify these micro and nano-sized particles. In this review, we discuss the current and potential identification methods used in microplastic analyses along with their advantages and limitations. We discuss the most suitable techniques currently available, from physical to chemical ones, as well as the challenges to enhance the existing methods and develop new ones. Microscopical techniques (i.e., dissect, polarized, fluorescence, scanning electron, and atomic force microscopy) are one of the most used identification methods for micro/nanoplastics, but they have the limitation to produce incomplete results in analyses of small particles. At present, the combination with chemical analysis (i.e., spectroscopy) overcome this limit together with recently introduced alternative approaches. For example, holographic imaging in microscope configuration images microplastics directly in unfiltered water, thus discriminating microplastics from diatoms and differentiates different sizes, shapes, and plastic types. The development of new analytical instruments coupled with each other or with conventional and innovative microscopy could solve the current problems in the identification of micro/nanoplastics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefania Mariano
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science and Technology, University of Salento, Lecce, Italy
| | - Stefano Tacconi
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science and Technology, University of Salento, Lecce, Italy
| | - Marco Fidaleo
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology “Charles Darwin”, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Marco Rossi
- Department of Basic and Applied Sciences for Engineering, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
- Research Center for Nanotechnologies Applied to Engineering, CNIS Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
- National Research Council Nanotec, Lecce, Italy
| | - Luciana Dini
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology “Charles Darwin”, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
- Research Center for Nanotechnologies Applied to Engineering, CNIS Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
- National Research Council Nanotec, Lecce, Italy
- *Correspondence: Luciana Dini
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Pirone D, Memmolo P, Merola F, Miccio L, Mugnano M, Capozzoli A, Curcio C, Liseno A, Ferraro P. Rolling angle recovery of flowing cells in holographic tomography exploiting the phase similarity. APPLIED OPTICS 2021; 60:A277-A284. [PMID: 33690379 DOI: 10.1364/ao.404376] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2020] [Accepted: 11/10/2020] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
Holographic tomography allows the 3D mapping of the refractive index of biological samples thanks to reconstruction methods based on the knowledge of illumination directions or rotation angles of the imaged sample. Recently, phase contrast tomographic flow cytometry by digital holography has been demonstrated to reconstruct the three-dimensional refractive index distribution of single cells while they are flowing along microfluidic channels. In this system, the illumination direction is fixed while the sample's rotation is not deterministically known a priori but induced by hydrodynamic forces. We propose here a technique to retrieve the rolling angles, based on a new phase images similarity metric that is capable of identifying a cell's orientations from its 3D positioning while it is flowing along the microfluidic channel. The method is experimentally tested and also validated through appropriate numerical simulations. We provide demonstration of concept by achieving reconstruction of breast cancer cells tomography.
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Polonschii C, Gheorghiu M, David S, Gáspár S, Melinte S, Majeed H, Kandel ME, Popescu G, Gheorghiu E. High-resolution impedance mapping using electrically activated quantitative phase imaging. LIGHT, SCIENCE & APPLICATIONS 2021; 10:20. [PMID: 33479199 PMCID: PMC7820407 DOI: 10.1038/s41377-020-00461-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2020] [Revised: 12/16/2020] [Accepted: 12/29/2020] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
Retrieving electrical impedance maps at the nanoscale rapidly via nondestructive inspection with a high signal-to-noise ratio is an unmet need, likely to impact various applications from biomedicine to energy conversion. In this study, we develop a multimodal functional imaging instrument that is characterized by the dual capability of impedance mapping and phase quantitation, high spatial resolution, and low temporal noise. To achieve this, we advance a quantitative phase imaging system, referred to as epi-magnified image spatial spectrum microscopy combined with electrical actuation, to provide complementary maps of the optical path and electrical impedance. We demonstrate our system with high-resolution maps of optical path differences and electrical impedance variations that can distinguish nanosized, semi-transparent, structured coatings involving two materials with relatively similar electrical properties. We map heterogeneous interfaces corresponding to an indium tin oxide layer exposed by holes with diameters as small as ~550 nm in a titanium (dioxide) over-layer deposited on a glass support. We show that electrical modulation during the phase imaging of a macro-electrode is decisive for retrieving electrical impedance distributions with submicron spatial resolution and beyond the limitations of electrode-based technologies (surface or scanning technologies). The findings, which are substantiated by a theoretical model that fits the experimental data very well enable achieving electro-optical maps with high spatial and temporal resolutions. The virtues and limitations of the novel optoelectrochemical method that provides grounds for a wider range of electrically modulated optical methods for measuring the electric field locally are critically discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Sorin David
- International Centre of Biodynamics, 060101, Bucharest, Romania
| | | | - Sorin Melinte
- Institute of Information and Communication Technologies, Electronics and Applied Mathematics, Université Catholique de Louvain, 1348, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
| | - Hassaan Majeed
- Quantitative Light Imaging Laboratory, Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA
| | - Mikhail E Kandel
- Quantitative Light Imaging Laboratory, Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA
| | - Gabriel Popescu
- Quantitative Light Imaging Laboratory, Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA.
| | - Eugen Gheorghiu
- International Centre of Biodynamics, 060101, Bucharest, Romania.
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Abstract
Microphysiological systems (MPS), often referred to as "organ-on-chips," are microfluidic-based in vitro models that aim to recapitulate the dynamic chemical and mechanical microenvironment of living organs. MPS promise to bridge the gap between in vitro and in vivo models and ultimately improve the translation from preclinical animal studies to clinical trials. However, despite the explosion of interest in this area in recent years, and the obvious rewards for such models that could improve R&D efficiency and reduce drug attrition in the clinic, the pharmaceutical industry has been slow to fully adopt this technology. The ability to extract robust, quantitative information from MPS at scale is a key requirement if these models are to impact drug discovery and the subsequent drug development process. Microscopy imaging remains a core technology that enables the capture of information at the single-cell level and with subcellular resolution. Furthermore, such imaging techniques can be automated, increasing throughput and enabling compound screening. In this review, we discuss a range of imaging techniques that have been applied to MPS of varying focus, such as organoids and organ-chip-type models. We outline the opportunities these technologies can bring in terms of understanding mechanistic biology, but also how they could be used in higher-throughput screens, widening the scope of their impact in drug discovery. We discuss the associated challenges of imaging these complex models and the steps required to enable full exploitation. Finally, we discuss the requirements for MPS, if they are to be applied at a scale necessary to support drug discovery projects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samantha Peel
- Discovery Biology, Discovery Sciences, R&D, AstraZeneca, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Mark Jackman
- Advanced Drug Delivery, Pharmaceutical Sciences, R&D, AstraZeneca, Cambridge, United Kingdom
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11
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Reproductive outcomes predicted by phase imaging with computational specificity of spermatozoon ultrastructure. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2020; 117:18302-18309. [PMID: 32690677 PMCID: PMC7414137 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2001754117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The ability to evaluate sperm at the microscopic level, at high-throughput, would be useful for assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs), as it can allow specific selection of sperm cells for in vitro fertilization (IVF). The tradeoff between intrinsic imaging and external contrast agents is particularly acute in reproductive medicine. The use of fluorescence labels has enabled new cell-sorting strategies and given new insights into developmental biology. Nevertheless, using extrinsic contrast agents is often too invasive for routine clinical operation. Raising questions about cell viability, especially for single-cell selection, clinicians prefer intrinsic contrast in the form of phase-contrast, differential-interference contrast, or Hoffman modulation contrast. While such instruments are nondestructive, the resulting image suffers from a lack of specificity. In this work, we provide a template to circumvent the tradeoff between cell viability and specificity by combining high-sensitivity phase imaging with deep learning. In order to introduce specificity to label-free images, we trained a deep-convolutional neural network to perform semantic segmentation on quantitative phase maps. This approach, a form of phase imaging with computational specificity (PICS), allowed us to efficiently analyze thousands of sperm cells and identify correlations between dry-mass content and artificial-reproduction outcomes. Specifically, we found that the dry-mass content ratios between the head, midpiece, and tail of the cells can predict the percentages of success for zygote cleavage and embryo blastocyst formation.
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Cacace T, Memmolo P, Villone MM, De Corato M, Mugnano M, Paturzo M, Ferraro P, Maffettone PL. Assembling and rotating erythrocyte aggregates by acoustofluidic pressure enabling full phase-contrast tomography. LAB ON A CHIP 2019; 19:3123-3132. [PMID: 31429851 DOI: 10.1039/c9lc00629j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
The combined use of ultrasound radiation and microfluidics is a promising tool for aiding the development of lab-on-a-chip devices. In this study, we show that the rotation of linear aggregates of micro-particles can be achieved under the action of acoustic field pressure. This novel manipulation is investigated by tracking polystyrene beads of different sizes through the 3D imaging features of digital holography (DH). From our analysis it is understood that the positioning of the micro-particles and their aggregations are associated with the effect of bulk acoustic radiation forces. The observed rotation is instead found to be compatible with the presence of acoustic streaming patterns as evidenced by our modelling and the resulting numerical simulation. Furthermore, the rotation frequency is shown to depend on the input voltage applied on the acoustic device. Finally, we demonstrate that we can take full advantage of such rotation by combining it with quantitative phase imaging of DH for a significant lab-on-a-chip biomedical application. In fact, we demonstrate that it is possible to put in rotation a linear aggregate of erythrocytes and rely on holographic imaging to achieve a full phase-contrast tomography of the aforementioned aggregate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Teresa Cacace
- National Research Council of Italy, Institute of Applied Sciences and Intelligent Systems "E. Caianiello", Via Campi Flegrei 34, Pozzuoli, Naples, Italy.
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Reconstruction of bovine spermatozoa substances distribution and morphological differences between Holstein and Korean native cattle using three-dimensional refractive index tomography. Sci Rep 2019; 9:8774. [PMID: 31217533 PMCID: PMC6584538 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-45174-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2018] [Accepted: 05/30/2019] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Measurements of the three-dimensional (3D) structure of spermatozoon are crucial for the study of developmental biology and for the evaluation of in vitro fertilization. Here, we present 3D label-free imaging of individual spermatozoon and perform quantitative analysis of bovine, porcine, and mouse spermatozoa morphologies using refractive index tomography. Various morphological and biophysical properties were determined, including the internal structure, volume, surface area, concentration, and dry matter mass of individual spermatozoon. Furthermore, Holstein cows and Korean native cattle spermatozoa were systematically analyzed and revealed significant differences in spermatozoa head length, head width, midpiece length, and tail length between the two breeds. This label-free imaging approach provides a new technique for understanding the physiology of spermatozoa.
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Memmolo P, Villone MM, Merola F, Miccio L, Mugnano M, Maffettone PL, Ferraro P. Microfluidic engineering for continuous in-flow cyto-tomography. EPJ WEB OF CONFERENCES 2019. [DOI: 10.1051/epjconf/201921510003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The possibility to investigate cells in microfluidic flow by using a full 3D morphometry analysis is highly demanded to achieve information about their healthiness. Recently, the tomographic flow cytometry by digital holography has been demonstrated to monitor red blood cells in microfluidics environment by simply applying flux pressure to induce random self-rotation of flowing cells. Here, we provide a microfluidic solution to engineer the flow with the aim to ensure the full 360 degree of angle rotation of all cells in the field of view. We test the proposed methods for circulating tumour cells.
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