Seeing invisible biological cells in 3-D and without labeling – New horizons in cancer diagnosis and in vitro fertilization

We present multimodal wide-field optical interferometric microscopy techniques for label-free 3-D imaging of live cells during fast flow. Using cell micro-manipulation approaches, multiple cells are trapped and rapidity rotated, while acquired using optical interferometry. The interferometric projections are rapidly processed into the 3-D refractive-index profile of the cells. The potential of these new techniques is for label-free image analysis and sorting of cells, to substitute current cell sorting devices which are based on external labeling that eventually damages the cell sample. We show possible applications to in-vitro fertilization and cancer diagnosis.
 
Prof. Natan T. Shaked is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Tel Aviv University, Israel. Between April 2011-July 2015, he was a Senior Lecturer (Assistant Professor) in the same department. Previously, Prof. Shaked was a Visiting Assistant Professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA. Prof. Shaked heads the The Biomedical Optical Microscopy, Nanoscopy and Interferometry Research Group, a large experimental group performing a multidisciplinary research involving optical engineering, imaging and sensing in biological systems, optical therapy, and biophysics. Prof. Shaked raised more than 4 Million USD for research, including recent winning in the personal ERC grant (>1.9 Million Euro). He is the author of more than 50 refereed journal papers and more than 80 conference papers.