DEVLOPEMNT OF FLUORESCENT IMAGING TOOLS FOR LIVE CELL IMAGING

Abstract

In biomedical sciences, there is a growing interest to understand cellular processes and behaviors in real time. Fluorescent live cell imaging presents an appealing approach to learn about cell dynamics and function by providing specificity and high resolution. However, one of the biggest limitations of these imaging modalities is penetration depth. With advancements in studying cell behavior and function in tissue engineered 3D constructs, such as in regenerative medicine, there is a need for improved techniques to image and quantitate cell function in these constructs. The first portion of the study aims to address this problem with the development and adaptation of a novel fiber based imaging designed to image fluorescent cells through an opaque electropsun scaffold. To this end, we assessed the impact of system parameters on image reconstruction and recognized physical limitations for sufficient imaging including collagen content and fluorescent spectra. This platform was shown to have the capacity to image different fluorescent labels and identify changes in fluorescent intensity while maintaining cell level resolution over large working distances.