Label-free volumetric imaging of synthetic cell chassis using optical coherence tomography

Dimitriou, Pantelitsa, Castell, Oliver ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6059-8062, Birchall, James ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8521-6924 and Li, Jin ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4672-6806 2024. Label-free volumetric imaging of synthetic cell chassis using optical coherence tomography. Presented at: Cardiff University Engineering Research Conference 2023, Cardiff, UK, 12-14 July 2023. Published in: Spezi, Emiliano and Bray, Michaela eds. Proceedings of the Cardif University Engineering Research Conference. Cardiff: Cardiff University Press, pp. 15-18. 10.18573/conf1.e

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Abstract

Bottom-up, chemically formed synthetic cells are usually imaged by optical microscopy, and the cell sizes and shapes are mostly estimated from acquired 2D images. The three-dimensional (3D) structures of a compartmentalised synthetic cell can be analysed by axially stacking 2D images, typically by using a high-resolution imaging systems, such as laser confocal scanning microscopy and light sheet microscopy. However, these techniques require the synthetic cell to be labelled with fluorescent tags, and have performance limits such as being restricted to volumes less than (approximately) 200 ìm3. Here, we present the label-free, 3D imaging of soft, free-standing, multicompartment synthetic cell using optical coherence tomography (OCT). The volumes of sub-cellular compartments within individual synthetic cells can be obtained via OCT imaging measurement. The spatial arrangements of the compartments and their contact angle information can be illustrated and measured, respectively. This approach provides a new method to evaluate multiphase soft materials spanning the range of micrometres to millimetres, towards the optimisation of synthetic cell construction for novel biomimetic material development.

Item Type:	Conference or Workshop Item (Paper)
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Engineering Pharmacy
Subjects:	R Medicine > R Medicine (General) R Medicine > RS Pharmacy and materia medica T Technology > TA Engineering (General). Civil engineering (General) T Technology > TP Chemical technology
Additional Information:	Contents are extended abstracts of papers, not full papers
Publisher:	Cardiff University Press
ISBN:	978-1-9116-5349-3
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	10 June 2024
Last Modified:	26 Jul 2024 13:41
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/169669

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