We used a simple setup for phase and fluorescence time-lapse imaging of thousands of cells in parallel directly in the incubator. These images allow us to make a population based cell-cycle analysis comparable to flow-cytometry, but also give us an access to the analysis on the level of individual cells followed over several cell cycles.
We can observe a thousand cells in parallel. We show a FUCCI marked HeLa cell culture observed over several days directly in the standard incubator. We compare our analysis to the flow cytometer data and show that we can produce a statistically relevant time-resolved measurement.
We designed a particularly simple, compact and robust microscope for phase and fluorescent imaging. The phase-contrast image is reconstructed from a single, approximately 100 µm defocused image with an algorithm based on a constrained optimization of Fresnel diffraction model. Fluorescence image is recorded in-focus. No mechanical movement of neither sample nor objective or any other part of the system is needed to change between the phase-contrast and fluorescence modality. The change of focus between phase (out-of-focus) and fluorescence (in-focus) imaging is achieved with chromatic aberration specifically enhanced by the optical design of our system. Our microscope is sufficiently compact (10x10x10 cm^3) to fit into a standard biological incubator. The simple and robust design reduces the vibration and the drift of the sample. The absence of motorized components makes the system robust and resistant to the humid conditions inside the biological incubator. These aspects greatly facilitate the long-time observation of cell cultures.
We can observe a thousand of cells in parallel in a single field of view (1mm^2) with resolution down to 2 µm. We show FUCCI marked HeLa cell culture observed over three days directly in the incubator. FUCCI (fluorescence ubiquitination cell-cycle indicator), is a genetically encoded, two-colour (red and green), indicator of the progression through the cell cycle: the cells in G1 phase show red fluorescence nuclei while the cells in S, G2 and M phase display green fluorescence within the nuclei.
We use phase images for segmentation and tracking of the individual cells which allows us to determine the level of fluorescence in each cell in the green and red fluorescence channel. We compare the obtained statistics with the data from flow cytometer acquired at the end of the observation. We show that we can produce a statistically relevant time-resolved measurement of a cell population while keeping access to the individual cells.
We designed a simple, compact and robust microscope for phase and fluorescent imaging. No mechanical movement of neither sample nor objective or any other part of the system is needed to change between the phase-contrast and fluorescence modality. We can observe a thousand cells in parallel in a single field of view with resolution down to 2 µm. We demonstrate the system on a FUCCI marked HeLa cell culture observed over several days directly in the standard incubator. We compare the obtained statistics to the flow cytometer data and show that we can produce a statistically relevant time-resolved measurement
We propose a simple and compact microscope combining phase imaging with fluorescence. This compact setup can be easily inserted in a standard biological incubator and allows observation of cellular cultures over several days. Phase image of the sample is reconstructed from a single, slightly (~50 μm) defocused image taken under semi-coherent illumination. Fluorescence in-focus image is recorded in epi-fluorescence geometry. The phase and fluorescence images are taken sequentially using a single CMOS camera. No mechanical movement of neither sample nor objective is required to change the imaging modality. The only change is the wavelength of illumination and excitation light for phase and fluorescence imaging, respectively. The slight defocus needed for phase imaging is achieved due to specifically introduced chromatic aberration in the imaging system.
We present dual modality time-lapse movies of cellular cultures observed over several days in physiological conditions inside an incubator. A field-of-view of 3 mm2 allows observation up to thousands of cells with micro-meter spatial resolution in quasi-simultaneous phase and fluorescence mode. We believe that the simplicity, small dimensions, ease-of-use and low cost of the system make it a useful tool for biological research
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