title: Cancer cell classification with coherent diffraction imaging using an extreme ultraviolet radiation source.
abstract: In cancer treatment, it is highly desirable to classify single cancer cells in real time. The standard method is polymerase chain reaction requiring a substantial amount of resources and time. Here, we present an innovative approach for rapidly classifying different cell types: we measure the diffraction pattern of a single cell illuminated with coherent extreme ultraviolet (XUV) laser-generated radiation. These patterns allow distinguishing different breast cancer cell types in a subsequent step. Moreover, the morphology of the object can be retrieved from the diffraction pattern with submicron resolution. In a proof-of-principle experiment, we prepared single MCF7 and SKBR3 breast cancer cells on gold-coated silica slides. The output of a laser-driven XUV light source is focused onto a single unstained and unlabeled cancer cell. With the resulting diffraction pattern, we could clearly identify the different cell types. With an improved setup, it will not only be feasible to classify circulating tumor cells with a high throughput, but also to identify smaller objects such as bacteria or even viruses.
authors.affiliation: Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena , Institute of Optics and Quantum Electronics, Abbe Center of Photonics, Max-Wien-Platz 1, Jena 07743, Germany.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zürch
authors.affiliation: Siemens AG , Healthcare Sector Strategy, Hartmann Street 16, Erlangen 91052, Germany.
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Foertsch
authors.affiliation: Siemens AG , Corporate Technology, Günther-Scharowsky-Street 1, Erlangen 91058, Germany.
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Matzas
authors.affiliation: University Hospital Jena , Bachstrasse 18, Jena 07743, Germany.
authors.forename: Katharina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Pachmann
authors.affiliation: Siemens AG , Healthcare Sector Strategy, Hartmann Street 16, Erlangen 91052, Germany.
authors.forename: Rainer
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kuth
authors.affiliation: Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena , Institute of Optics and Quantum Electronics, Abbe Center of Photonics, Max-Wien-Platz 1, Jena 07743, Germany.
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Spielmann
keywords: breast cancer; coherent diffraction imaging; high harmonic generation; high resolution imaging; rapid classification