Nondestructive visual approach permeates further into the depths of living matter.
Picking apart the secrets of the body just got a whole lot easier, thanks to a new technique developed by MIT researchers. They've engineered a method that doubles the usual depth limit of noninvasive metabolic imaging, all while speeding up image capture for richer results.
And the best part? No tissue modification required!
"We're giving scientists a cutting-edge tool to peer deep into living tissue without cutting, staining, or killing the sample," explains lead researcher and MIT Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS) graduate student, Kunzan Liu.
The new technique eliminates the need for staining, a process that often damages tissue and makes it impossible to study dynamic processes in real-time. Instead, MIT researchers have devised a specialized laser that illuminates deep within the tissue, making organs, cells, and everything in between shine like a beacon.
Here's how they did it.
Light bending
Light loves to play hide-and-seek when it enters biological tissue. It scatters around like a stubborn toddler, making it difficult to penetrate further and clouding image resolution. To tackle this problem, MIT researchers used a recently developed fiber shaper, a compact device they manipulate by twisting and bending.
"We can tune the color and pulses of the laser light to minimize scattering and maximize the signal as it travels deeper into the tissue, allowing for clearer images and more penetration," explains MIT postdoc Tong Qiu.
Building on previous research, the researchers tailored the fiber shaper for deeper, broader imaging possibilities.
The result? They achieved depth penetration of over 700 micrometers, surpassing the previous limit of about 200 micrometers. The enhanced depth penetration, faster speeds, and higher resolution make this method well-suited for demanding applications like cancer research, tissue engineering, drug discovery, and the study of immune responses.
Cutting loose
This new technique is a game-changer for dynamic applications, where capturing tissue snapshots in their natural states is crucial. For example, researchers in the Kamm and Griffith labs at MIT have been pioneering the development of brain and endometrial organoids that replicate the structure and function of organs.
However, it's been challenging to observe internal developments in living tissue without cutting or staining the sample. This new imaging technique allows researchers to monitor the metabolic states inside a living organoid while it continues to grow, without interruption.
The researchers' next steps? Pushing the limits of depth penetration even further, creating low-noise lasers for reduced light dosage, and developing algorithms to accurately reconstruct 3D structures in high resolution. In the long run, they aim to apply this technique in real-world settings to help biologists monitor drug responses and speed up the development of new medications.
Researchers from the Cecil and Ida Green Distinguished Professor of Biological and Mechanical Engineering, Linda Griffith, and professor of brain and cognitive sciences, Fan Wang, joined fellow MIT colleagues in the research, which appeared today in Science Advances. "We're excited to collaborate with clinicians, biologists, and bioengineers to push the boundaries of this technology and turn these insights into real-world medical breakthroughs," says You.
The research is funded, in part, by MIT startup funds, a U.S. National Science Foundation CAREER Award, an MIT Irwin Jacobs and Joan Klein Presidential Fellowship, and an MIT Kailath Fellowship.
- This MIT technology breakthrough doubles the usual depth limit of noninvasive metabolic imaging, thanks to a new technique developed by neuroscience graduates.
- The laser technology developed by MIT researchers illuminates deep within the tissue, making organs, cells, and everything in between shine like a beacon, removing the need for staining.
- The enhancement of depth penetration, faster speeds, and higher resolution make this method well-suited for demanding applications like cancer research and tissue engineering.
- This new imaging technique allows scientists to peer deep into living tissue without cutting, staining, or killing the sample, offering a cutting-edge tool for neuroscience research.
- MIT postdoc Tong Qiu explains that the researchers manipulate a fiber shaper by twisting and bending to minimize scattering and maximize signal penetration.
- The tailored fiber shaper for deeper, broader imaging possibilities has resulted in a depth penetration of over 700 micrometers, surpassing the previous limit of about 200 micrometers.
- This new technique is a game-changer for dynamic applications, like the study of immune responses and the monitoring of metabolic states inside a living organoid.
- Researchers from the Kamm and Griffith labs at MIT have been championing the development of brain and endometrial organoids, now leveraging the new imaging technique to observe internal developments in living tissue without cutting or staining.
- Collaborating with clinicians, biologists, and bioengineers, the researchers aim to apply this technique in real-world settings to help biologists monitor drug responses and speed up the development of new medications.
- The research, funded in part by MIT startup funds, a U.S. National Science Foundation CAREER Award, an MIT Irwin Jacobs and Joan Klein Presidential Fellowship, and an MIT Kailath Fellowship, appeared today in Science Advances.
