Apparatus and method for detecting deformability of cells using spatially modulated optical force microscopy
US7460240B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Oct 17, 2006 |
| Grant date | Dec 2, 2008 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Oct 17, 2026 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG03H2001/0077
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
The present invention utilizes spatially modulated optical force microscopy (SMOFM) with single beam optical force probing capability or with a holographic optical trapping system capable of multi-beam optical force probing coupled to a microscope objective, to generate a probe beam(s) as a force probe to perturb the object that is adhered or resting on a surface, so that deformations of the object may subsequently be quantified. This quantification is performed by imaging a sequence of four phase shifted replicas of the image using a computer-controlled spatial light modulator, and calculating the pixel by pixel optical path-length using existing algorithms. The change in optical path lengths, and consequently the viscoelastic or elastic response elicited, is an indication of damage or disease when the objects are cells. In another embodiment, the optical deformability of the cells may be measured and correlated with measurements of cytoskeletal/structural protein expression.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.