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Navaeipour F, Hepburn MS, Li J, Metzner KL, Amos SE, Vahala D, Maher S, Choi YS, Kennedy BF. In situ stress estimation in quantitative micro-elastography. BIOMEDICAL OPTICS EXPRESS 2024; 15:3609-3626. [PMID: 38867802 PMCID: PMC11166433 DOI: 10.1364/boe.522002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2024] [Revised: 04/20/2024] [Accepted: 04/22/2024] [Indexed: 06/14/2024]
Abstract
In quantitative micro-elastography (QME), a pre-characterized compliant layer with a known stress-strain curve is utilized to map stress at the sample surface. However, differences in the boundary conditions of the compliant layer when it is mechanically characterized and when it is used in QME experiments lead to inconsistent stress estimation and consequently, inaccurate elasticity measurements. Here, we propose a novel in situ stress estimation method using an optical coherence tomography (OCT)-based uniaxial compression testing system integrated with the QME experimental setup. By combining OCT-measured axial strain with axial stress determined using a load cell in the QME experiments, we can estimate in situ stress for the compliant layer, more accurately considering its boundary conditions. Our proposed method shows improved accuracy, with an error below 10%, compared to 85% using the existing QME technique with no lubrication. Furthermore, demonstrations on hydrogels and cells indicate the potential of this approach for improving the characterization of the micro-scale mechanical properties of cells and their interactions with the surrounding biomaterial, which has potential for application in cell mechanobiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Farzaneh Navaeipour
- BRITElab, Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research, QEII Medical Centre, Nedlands and Centre for Medical Research, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia 6009, Australia
- Department of Electrical, Electronic and Computer Engineering, School of Engineering, The University of Western Australia, 35, Stirling Highway, Perth, Western Australia 6009, Australia
| | - Matt S. Hepburn
- BRITElab, Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research, QEII Medical Centre, Nedlands and Centre for Medical Research, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia 6009, Australia
- Department of Electrical, Electronic and Computer Engineering, School of Engineering, The University of Western Australia, 35, Stirling Highway, Perth, Western Australia 6009, Australia
- Institute of Physics, Faculty of Physics, Astronomy and Informatics, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, Grudziadzka 5, 87-100 Torun, Poland
| | - Jiayue Li
- BRITElab, Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research, QEII Medical Centre, Nedlands and Centre for Medical Research, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia 6009, Australia
- Department of Electrical, Electronic and Computer Engineering, School of Engineering, The University of Western Australia, 35, Stirling Highway, Perth, Western Australia 6009, Australia
- Australian Research Council Centre for Personalised Therapeutics Technologies, Australia
| | - Kai L. Metzner
- BRITElab, Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research, QEII Medical Centre, Nedlands and Centre for Medical Research, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia 6009, Australia
- Department of Electrical, Electronic and Computer Engineering, School of Engineering, The University of Western Australia, 35, Stirling Highway, Perth, Western Australia 6009, Australia
| | - Sebastian E. Amos
- School of Human Sciences, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Perth, Western Australia 6009, Australia
| | - Danielle Vahala
- School of Human Sciences, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Perth, Western Australia 6009, Australia
| | - Samuel Maher
- School of Human Sciences, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Perth, Western Australia 6009, Australia
| | - Yu Suk Choi
- School of Human Sciences, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Perth, Western Australia 6009, Australia
| | - Brendan F. Kennedy
- BRITElab, Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research, QEII Medical Centre, Nedlands and Centre for Medical Research, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia 6009, Australia
- Department of Electrical, Electronic and Computer Engineering, School of Engineering, The University of Western Australia, 35, Stirling Highway, Perth, Western Australia 6009, Australia
- Institute of Physics, Faculty of Physics, Astronomy and Informatics, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, Grudziadzka 5, 87-100 Torun, Poland
- Australian Research Council Centre for Personalised Therapeutics Technologies, Australia
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Vahala D, Amos SE, Sacchi M, Soliman BG, Hepburn MS, Mowla A, Li J, Jeong JH, Astell C, Hwang Y, Kennedy BF, Lim KS, Choi YS. 3D Volumetric Mechanosensation of MCF7 Breast Cancer Spheroids in a Linear Stiffness Gradient GelAGE. Adv Healthc Mater 2023; 12:e2301506. [PMID: 37670531 DOI: 10.1002/adhm.202301506] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2023] [Revised: 07/26/2023] [Indexed: 09/07/2023]
Abstract
The tumor microenvironment presents spatiotemporal shifts in biomechanical properties with cancer progression. Hydrogel biomaterials like GelAGE offer the stiffness tuneability to recapitulate dynamic changes in tumor tissues by altering photo-energy exposures. Here, a tuneable hydrogel with spatiotemporal control of stiffness and mesh-network is developed. The volume of MCF7 spheroids encapsulated in a linear stiffness gradient demonstrates an inverse relationship with stiffness (p < 0.0001). As spheroids are exposed to increased crosslinking (stiffer) and greater mechanical confinement, spheroid stiffness increases. Protein expression (TRPV4, β1 integrin, E-cadherin, and F-actin) decreases with increasing stiffness while showing strong correlations to spheroid volume (r2 > 0.9). To further investigate the role of volume, MCF7 spheroids are grown in a soft matrix for 5 days prior to a second polymerisation which presents a stiffness gradient to equally expanded spheroids. Despite being exposed to variable stiffness, these spheroids show even protein expression, confirming volume as a key regulator. Overall, this work showcases the versatility of GelAGE and demonstrates volume expansion as a key regulator of 3D mechanosensation in MCF7 breast cancer spheroids. This platform has the potential to further investigation into the role of stiffness and dimensionality in 3D spheroid culture for other types of cancers and diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danielle Vahala
- School of Human Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, 6009, Australia
| | - Sebastian E Amos
- School of Human Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, 6009, Australia
| | - Marta Sacchi
- School of Human Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, 6009, Australia
| | - Bram G Soliman
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Musculoskeletal Medicine, University of Otago Christchurch, Christchurch, 8140, New Zealand
| | - Matt S Hepburn
- Department of Electrical, Electronic & Computer Engineering, School of Engineering, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, 6009, Australia
- BRITElab, Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research, QEII Medical Centre, Nedlands, and Centre for Medical Research, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, 6009, Australia
| | - Alireza Mowla
- Department of Electrical, Electronic & Computer Engineering, School of Engineering, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, 6009, Australia
- BRITElab, Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research, QEII Medical Centre, Nedlands, and Centre for Medical Research, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, 6009, Australia
| | - Jiayue Li
- Department of Electrical, Electronic & Computer Engineering, School of Engineering, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, 6009, Australia
- BRITElab, Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research, QEII Medical Centre, Nedlands, and Centre for Medical Research, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, 6009, Australia
| | - Ji Hoon Jeong
- Soonchunhyang Institute of Medi-Bio Science, Soonchunhyang University, Cheonan-si, Chungcheongnam-do, 31151, South Korea
| | - Chrissie Astell
- School of Human Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, 6009, Australia
| | - Yongsung Hwang
- Soonchunhyang Institute of Medi-Bio Science, Soonchunhyang University, Cheonan-si, Chungcheongnam-do, 31151, South Korea
| | - Brendan F Kennedy
- Department of Electrical, Electronic & Computer Engineering, School of Engineering, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, 6009, Australia
- BRITElab, Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research, QEII Medical Centre, Nedlands, and Centre for Medical Research, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, 6009, Australia
| | - Khoon S Lim
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Musculoskeletal Medicine, University of Otago Christchurch, Christchurch, 8140, New Zealand
- School of Medical Sciences, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2006, Australia
| | - Yu Suk Choi
- School of Human Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, 6009, Australia
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Metzner KL, Fang Q, Sanderson RW, Mowla A, Kennedy BF. Analysis of friction in quantitative micro-elastography. BIOMEDICAL OPTICS EXPRESS 2023; 14:5127-5147. [PMID: 37854567 PMCID: PMC10581800 DOI: 10.1364/boe.494013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2023] [Revised: 07/20/2023] [Accepted: 08/02/2023] [Indexed: 10/20/2023]
Abstract
Quantitative micro-elastography (QME) is a compression-based optical coherence elastography technique capable of measuring the mechanical properties of tissue on the micro-scale. As QME requires contact between the imaging window and the sample, the presence of friction affects the accuracy of the estimated elasticity. In previous implementations, a lubricant was applied at the contact surfaces, which was assumed to result in negligible friction. However, recently, errors in the estimation of elasticity caused by friction have been reported. This effect has yet to be characterized and is, therefore, not well understood. In this work, we present a systematic analysis of friction in QME using silicone phantoms. We demonstrate that friction, and, therefore, the elasticity accuracy, is influenced by several experimental factors, including the viscosity of the lubricant, the mechanical contrast between the compliant layer and the sample, and the time after the application of a compressive strain. Elasticity errors over an order of magnitude were observed in the absence of appropriate lubrication when compared to uniaxial compression testing. Using an optimized lubrication protocol, we demonstrate accurate elasticity estimation (<10% error) for nonlinear elastic samples with Young's moduli ranging from 3 kPa to 130 kPa. Finally, using a structured phantom, we demonstrate that friction can significantly reduce mechanical contrast in QME. We believe that the framework established in this study will facilitate more robust elasticity estimations in QME, as well as being readily adapted to understand the effects of friction in other contact elastography techniques.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kai L. Metzner
- BRITElab, Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research, QEII Medical Centre, Nedlands, and Centre for Medical Research, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA 6009, Australia
- Department of Electrical, Electronic & Computer Engineering, School of Engineering, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA 6009, Australia
| | - Qi Fang
- BRITElab, Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research, QEII Medical Centre, Nedlands, and Centre for Medical Research, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA 6009, Australia
- Department of Electrical, Electronic & Computer Engineering, School of Engineering, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA 6009, Australia
| | - Rowan W. Sanderson
- BRITElab, Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research, QEII Medical Centre, Nedlands, and Centre for Medical Research, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA 6009, Australia
- Department of Electrical, Electronic & Computer Engineering, School of Engineering, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA 6009, Australia
| | - Alireza Mowla
- BRITElab, Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research, QEII Medical Centre, Nedlands, and Centre for Medical Research, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA 6009, Australia
- Department of Electrical, Electronic & Computer Engineering, School of Engineering, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA 6009, Australia
| | - Brendan F. Kennedy
- BRITElab, Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research, QEII Medical Centre, Nedlands, and Centre for Medical Research, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA 6009, Australia
- Department of Electrical, Electronic & Computer Engineering, School of Engineering, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA 6009, Australia
- Australian Research Council Centre for Personalised Therapeutics Technologies, Perth, WA 6000, Australia
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Mekonnen T, Schill AW, Zevallos-Delgado C, Singh M, Aglyamov SR, Larin KV. Reverberant optical coherence elastography using multifocal acoustic radiation force. OPTICS LETTERS 2023; 48:2773-2776. [PMID: 37262207 DOI: 10.1364/ol.482201] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2022] [Accepted: 04/15/2023] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
In this study, we introduce a multifocal acoustic radiation force source that combines an ultrasound transducer and a 3D-printed acoustic lens for application in reverberant optical coherence elastography (Rev-OCE). An array of plano-concave acoustic lenses, each with an 11.8 mm aperture diameter, were used to spatially distribute the acoustic energy generated by a 1 MHz planar ultrasound transducer, producing multiple focal spots on a target plane. These focal spots generate reverberant shear wave fields detected by the optical coherence tomography (OCT) system. The effectiveness of the multifocal Rev-OCE system in probing mechanical properties with high resolution is demonstrated in layered gelatin phantoms.
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