High resolution 3D imaging of living cells with sub-optical wavelength phonons

Label-free imaging of living cells below the optical diffraction limit poses great challenges for optical microscopy. Biologically relevant structural information remains below the Rayleigh limit and beyond the reach of conventional microscopes. Super-resolution techniques are typically based on the...

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Main Authors: Perez-Cota, Fernando, Smith, Richard J., Moradi, Emilia, Marques, Leonel, Webb, Kevin F., Clark, Matt
Format: Article
Published: Nature Publishing Group 2016
Online Access:https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/39838/
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author Perez-Cota, Fernando
Smith, Richard J.
Moradi, Emilia
Marques, Leonel
Webb, Kevin F.
Clark, Matt
author_facet Perez-Cota, Fernando
Smith, Richard J.
Moradi, Emilia
Marques, Leonel
Webb, Kevin F.
Clark, Matt
author_sort Perez-Cota, Fernando
building Nottingham Research Data Repository
collection Online Access
description Label-free imaging of living cells below the optical diffraction limit poses great challenges for optical microscopy. Biologically relevant structural information remains below the Rayleigh limit and beyond the reach of conventional microscopes. Super-resolution techniques are typically based on the nonlinear and stochastic response of fluorescent labels which can be toxic and interfere with cell function. In this paper we present, for the first time, imaging of live cells using sub-optical wavelength phonons. The axial imaging resolution of our system is determined by the acoustic wavelength (λa = λprobe/2n) and not on the NA of the optics allowing sub-optical wavelength acoustic sectioning of samples using the time of flight. The transverse resolution is currently limited to the optical spot size. The contrast mechanism is significantly determined by the mechanical properties of the cells and requires no additional contrast agent, stain or label to image the cell structure. The ability to breach the optical diffraction limit to image living cells acoustically promises to bring a new suite of imaging technologies to bear in answering exigent questions in cell biology and biomedicine.
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spelling nottingham-398382020-05-04T18:25:04Z https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/39838/ High resolution 3D imaging of living cells with sub-optical wavelength phonons Perez-Cota, Fernando Smith, Richard J. Moradi, Emilia Marques, Leonel Webb, Kevin F. Clark, Matt Label-free imaging of living cells below the optical diffraction limit poses great challenges for optical microscopy. Biologically relevant structural information remains below the Rayleigh limit and beyond the reach of conventional microscopes. Super-resolution techniques are typically based on the nonlinear and stochastic response of fluorescent labels which can be toxic and interfere with cell function. In this paper we present, for the first time, imaging of live cells using sub-optical wavelength phonons. The axial imaging resolution of our system is determined by the acoustic wavelength (λa = λprobe/2n) and not on the NA of the optics allowing sub-optical wavelength acoustic sectioning of samples using the time of flight. The transverse resolution is currently limited to the optical spot size. The contrast mechanism is significantly determined by the mechanical properties of the cells and requires no additional contrast agent, stain or label to image the cell structure. The ability to breach the optical diffraction limit to image living cells acoustically promises to bring a new suite of imaging technologies to bear in answering exigent questions in cell biology and biomedicine. Nature Publishing Group 2016-12-20 Article PeerReviewed Perez-Cota, Fernando, Smith, Richard J., Moradi, Emilia, Marques, Leonel, Webb, Kevin F. and Clark, Matt (2016) High resolution 3D imaging of living cells with sub-optical wavelength phonons. Scientific Reports, 6 . 39326/1-39326/11. ISSN 2045-2322 http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/srep39326 doi:10.1038/srep39326 doi:10.1038/srep39326
spellingShingle Perez-Cota, Fernando
Smith, Richard J.
Moradi, Emilia
Marques, Leonel
Webb, Kevin F.
Clark, Matt
High resolution 3D imaging of living cells with sub-optical wavelength phonons
title High resolution 3D imaging of living cells with sub-optical wavelength phonons
title_full High resolution 3D imaging of living cells with sub-optical wavelength phonons
title_fullStr High resolution 3D imaging of living cells with sub-optical wavelength phonons
title_full_unstemmed High resolution 3D imaging of living cells with sub-optical wavelength phonons
title_short High resolution 3D imaging of living cells with sub-optical wavelength phonons
title_sort high resolution 3d imaging of living cells with sub-optical wavelength phonons
url https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/39838/
https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/39838/
https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/39838/