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| CARS Microscopy | ||
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Applications of CARS Microscopy CARS microscopy is a rapidly developing technique that is constantly finding new and exciting applications. Applications to Cell Biology |
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Many experiments in cell biology are limited by the use of perturbative labels. Fluorophores, beads, or metal particles can have large effects on the behavior of a labeled molecule or organelle in a living organism. CARS microscopy, as a chemically-selective imaging modality, provides microscopic contrast with out the need of labels, making it a powerful tool in cell biology. Applications include studies of lipid metabolism, organelle transport in vivo, and viral disease. Recent experiments have used deuterium isotope substitution as a spectroscopic contrast agent to study the effects of Omega-3 fatty acids on liver cell lipid metabolism (Xie et al, Science, 2006). | |
Related publications: [Nan, Cheng, and Xie, J. Lipid Research, 2003] |
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Biomedical Applications | ||
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Tissue Imaging | ||
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CARS microscopy is an ideal tool for tissue imaging. As a nonlinear effect, CARS can be used to image deep in tissue to carry out a true optical biopsy with chemical selectivity. CARS microscopy has been successfully used to study skin tissue in vivo in real-time at video-rate speeds. Efforts are now underway to extend CARS microscopy as an endoscopic technique for disease diagnostics and real-time surgical guidance. Related publications: [Evans, Potma, et al.. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 2005] |
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Imaging of Brain Tumors | ||
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CARS microscopy provides an interesting new contrast mechanism for imaging tumors in brain tissue. In particular, by making use of differences in lipid density between tumor tissue and healthy tissue, brain tumor margins can be seen with subcellular spatial resolution in fresh, unstained tissue. A CARS image of a region of brain tissue of about one square millimeter can be acquired in about one second without any fixation, staining or freezing of the specimen. Comparison with histological data and Raman spectroscopy has established the chemical selectivity of the technique, and efforts to establish the use of CARS as a tool for virtual histology during brain tumor resectioning surgery are underway. Related publications: |
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Applications Outside Biomedicine | ||
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Imaging of Liquid Crystals | ||
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As a chemically sensitive technique, CARS microscopy has many applications outside biomedicine. Recent work includes imaging of liquid crystals, monitoring water flow and evaporation, lipid ordering in model systems, and imaging photoresists for lithography applications. Related publications: [Saar et al. Opt. Exp., 2007] |
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Membrane Chemistry CARS microscopy’s exquisite sensitivity to lipids makes it an ideal tool to study membrane chemistry and physics. Of particular interests in membrane science is the existence of lipid domains such as lipid rafts. Studies using CARS microscopy have successful seen not only single lipid bilayers, but also observed lipid phase segregation in a label-free manner. Related publications: [Potma and Xie, J. Raman Spectrosc., 2003] |
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