Cell Life Tracking Using Intracellular Lasing Barcodes

Our understanding of diseases fundamentally depends on our knowledge of cells, the building blocks of our bodies.

Single-cell analysis has evolved over recent decades, from microscopy of individual cells to modern flow cytometry allowing multiparameter analysis of tens of thousands of cells per second.

Typically, these methods are limited to a single-pass analysis, offering a snapshot of cell life from which past and future behaviours are inferred.

In addition, they often involve separating cells into 1D and 2D cultures, which do not accurately represent in-vivo behaviour and cell-to-cell interactions.

However, 3D cultures pose an additional challenge as imaging and tracking of cells become more difficult due to increased light scattering inside the tissue.

In this project, I aim to track individual heart cells throughout their life cycle using custom-made microscopic lasers. Initially, cells will ingest multiple microlasers, each serving as a unique spectral barcode for cell identification.

The cells will then undergo imaging and deformability assays and a modified flow cytometer analysis to gather comprehensive data about their initial state.

Subsequently, cells will be cultured into a 3D organoid, with the position and contractility of each cell tracked by the coherent emission of the microlasers they contain. Finally, the organoid will be dissociated, and the cells will be re-analysed.

This approach will yield extensive data on how the environment impacts individual cells, provide a tool to gather new insights into the evolution of cell behaviour and thus enhance our understanding of cellular processes.

Further, the fellowship will facilitate my professional development by allowing me to further my understanding of biophotonics.

Working with novel techniques in an interdisciplinary group that has pioneered the use of biointegrated microlasers will allow me to establish myself as a leading researcher at the interface of biology, microfabrication, and photonics.