Spatiotemporal characterization of a fibrin clot using quantitative phase imaging.
Studying the dynamics of fibrin clot formation and its morphology is an important problem in biology and has significant impact for several scientific and clinical applications. We present a label-free technique based on quantitative phase imaging to address this problem. Using quantitative phase information, we characterized fibrin polymerization in real-time and present a mathematical model describing the transition from liquid to gel state. By exploiting the inherent optical sectioning capability of our instrument, we measured the three-dimensional structure of the fibrin clot. From this data, we evaluated the fractal nature of the fibrin network and extracted the fractal dimension. Our non-invasive and speckle-free approach analyzes the clotting process without the need for external contrast agents.
Quantitative Light Imaging Laboratory, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, United States of America.
Rajshekhar
R
Gannavarpu
Quantitative Light Imaging Laboratory, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, United States of America.
Basanta
B
Bhaduri
Department of Pathology, Christie Clinic, and University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, United States of America.
Krishnarao
K
Tangella
Quantitative Light Imaging Laboratory, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, United States of America.
Gabriel
G
Popescu
D001777:Blood Coagulation / Q000502:physiology*; D001779:Blood Coagulation Factors / Q000378:metabolism; D001792:Blood Platelets / Q000378:metabolism*; D003952:Diagnostic Imaging; D005337:Fibrin / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D044367:Phase Transition; D058105:Polymerization
D001779:Blood Coagulation Factors; D005337:Fibrin