title: Characterising live cell behaviour: Traditional label-free and quantitative phase imaging approaches.
abstract: Label-free imaging uses inherent contrast mechanisms within cells to create image contrast without introducing dyes/labels, which may confound results. Quantitative phase imaging is label-free and offers higher content and contrast compared to traditional techniques. High-contrast images facilitate generation of individual cell metrics via more robust segmentation and tracking, enabling formation of a label-free dynamic phenotype describing cell-to-cell heterogeneity and temporal changes. Compared to population-level averages, individual cell-level dynamic phenotypes have greater power to differentiate between cellular responses to treatments, which has clinical relevance e.g. in the treatment of cancer. Furthermore, as the data is obtained label-free, the same cells can be used for further assays or expansion, of potential benefit for the fields of regenerative and personalised medicine.
authors.affiliation: Phasefocus Ltd, Sheffield, UK; Technology Facility, University of York, UK. Electronic address: richard.kasprowicz@york.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kasprowicz
authors.affiliation: Phasefocus Ltd, Sheffield, UK; Technology Facility, University of York, UK.
authors.forename: Rakesh
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Suman
authors.affiliation: Technology Facility, University of York, UK. Electronic address: peter.otoole@york.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: O'Toole
mesh_terms: D002453:Cell Cycle; D019070:Cell Lineage; D002465:Cell Movement; D058948:Cell Tracking; D003584:Cytological Techniques / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008857:Microscopy, Interference / Q000379:methods; D008858:Microscopy, Phase-Contrast / Q000379:methods*; D010641:Phenotype; D059010:Single-Cell Analysis / Q000379:methods*
keywords: Label-free imaging; Live-cell imaging; Ptychography; QPI; Quantitative phase imaging