# QUANTITATIVE PHASE MICROSCOPY AND SPECTROSCOPY TECHNIQUES

> **NIH NIH P41** · MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY · 2020 · $262,959

## Abstract

TRD 2. QUANTITATIVE PHASE MICROSCOPY AND SPECTROSCOPY TECHNIQUES
Investigators: Z. Yaqoob (2.1, 2.2, 2.3) [Lead], P. So (2.1, 2.2, 2.3); C.L. Evans (2.3)
Collaborative Projects: G. Kato, U. Pittsburgh (CP2); J. Lammerding, Cornell (CP3); E. Boyden, MIT (CP4); Raman, John
Hopkins (CP5); D. Fisher, MGH (CP6); P. Krauledat, PNP Research (CP7); P. Campagnola (CP8).
PROJECT SUMMARY: The LBRC has been one of the leaders in interferometric imaging, including wide-field
quantitative phase microscopy (QPM) and tomographic phase microscopy (TPM), with applications in label-free
quantification of cellular morphology, biomechanics, and cell mass/cycle control. During the next cycle, the
LBRC will push this technology forward in three fronts. First, the LBRC has successfully developed novel
reflection mode QPMs based on temporal and spatial coherence. While these systems show promise to
elucidate the biomechanical changes in red blood cells (RBCs), they do not have the necessary depth
resolution and sensitivity to study eukaryotic cells. Given that nuclear rheology is important in diseases such as
progeria and in cancer metastasis (CP3,5), we push to develop a next generation reflection-mode QPM to
quantify biomechanical factors in diseases of nucleated cells (TRD2.1). Second, we have developed several
generations of TPMs that provide exquisite 3D maps of the cellular refractive index (RI) distribution, but they
offer low throughput and suffer from the “missing cone” problem. Given the need to study shape variations
during RBC sickling (CP2) and cancer cell migration (CP5,8), we push to explore novel tomographic
reconstruction based on reflection mode QPM (TRD2.2). Third, while our interferometric imaging work has been
mostly label-free, its usage is partly limited by its lack of molecular specificity. As a completely new direction,
driven by the need to study (a) sickle cell disease requiring absorption contrast (CRP2), (b) melanomagenesis
mechanisms requiring absorption and Raman contrast (CRP6), and (c) binding of cancer antigens to immune
cells (CRP7), we push to explore the possibility of wide-field interferometric imaging with molecular specific
contrast mechanisms (TRD2.3).

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9985830
- **Project number:** 5P41EB015871-34
- **Recipient organization:** MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
- **Principal Investigator:** Peter T. So
- **Activity code:** P41 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $262,959
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 1997-06-01 → 2022-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9985830

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9985830, QUANTITATIVE PHASE MICROSCOPY AND SPECTROSCOPY TECHNIQUES (5P41EB015871-34). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9985830. Licensed CC0.

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