Label-free three-dimensional (3D) structural imaging in live cells using intrinsic optical refractive index

TL;DR

This paper introduces a label-free 3D imaging technique for live cells that reconstructs cellular morphology using intrinsic optical properties, enabling dynamic observation without staining or extensive sample prep.

Contribution

The authors develop a novel 3D Fourier-based optical imaging method that provides quantitative cellular morphology without exogenous contrast agents or iterative computations.

Findings

Enables visualization of live cell structures without staining.

Provides rapid, volumetric, and dynamic imaging capabilities.

Compatible with various imaging platforms and minimal sample preparation.

Abstract

Here we report a method for visualization of volumetric structural information of live biological samples with no exogenous contrast agents. The process is made possible through a technique that involves generation, synthesis and analysis of three-dimensional (3D) Fourier components of light diffracted by the sample. This leads to the direct recovery of quantitative cellular morphology with no iterative procedures for reduced computational complexity. Combing with the fact that the technique is easily adaptive to any imaging platform and requires minimum sample preparation, our proposed method is particularly promising for observing fast, volumetric and dynamic events previously only accessible through staining methods.