RSC Publishing * Online Shop * Contact us * Advanced search Publishing ____________________ Go [Other RSC site areas...] Go * Home * Publishing * Highlights in Chemical Science * Volume * 2010 * 11 Cover image for Highlights in Chemical Science Highlights in Chemical Science Chemical science news from across RSC Publishing. Freezing the action in living things 10 November 2010 A fast, high-resolution infrared imaging technique that can 'freeze' living specimens has been designed by UK scientists and tested on human ovarian cancer cells. The technique could lead to a better understanding of how cancer drugs work. Infrared spectroscopy of cell images can be used in a number of fields including forensic science and cancer research. However, taking pictures of samples can take up to 12 hours. Chris Phillips and his team at Imperial College London have developed a technique to produce 2D images that takes a fraction of a second. By combining a purpose-built pulsed IR laser source with a charge-coupled device camera, rather like a digital camera, they were able to generate pictures 10^11 times faster than current IR spectroscopic imaging methods. The IR source generates very short pulses (~100 psec) that keep the illumination levels below cell phototoxicity limits and allow moving specimens to be frozen in a way that mimics conventional flash photography. Previous attempts to image cells in this way have required long illumination times, which causes the cells to move away from the light source or can kill them. 'Because you can do it so quickly, you can freeze the action in living things, and because you have so much more light signal, you can get right inside the cells to take chemical maps,' says Phillips. Cell The sharpest focus cell images are visually selected for the cell-level spectroscopy analysis The team took a series of single shot images of live human ovarian cancer cells, at a wavelength which gave a clear contrast between the nucleus and the cytoplasm of individual cells undergoing multiplication. Neil Hunt, an expert in IR spectroscopy at the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK, says: 'this seems to be very interesting in that it's using ultrafast laser technology to produce microscopy images, which gives the advantage of much improved sensitivity in relation to methods that have been previously used for infrared microscopy.' Phillips says that there are two areas for possible applications. The first is collaborating with oncologists to track the internal chemistry of cells and the population of cells being dosed with cancer drugs to aid the understanding of how the drugs work. The second is to take a slice of tissue, normally used for a biopsy, and image it with their camera - allowing measurement of chemicals in the cells, which will ultimately distinguish between cancerous and healthy tissue. 'I think that's where it might make its biggest and earliest impact,' says Phillips. Anna Watson Enjoy this story? Spread the word using the 'tools' menu on the left or add a comment to the Chemistry World blog. Link to journal article Ultrafast infrared chemical imaging of live cells Hemmel Amrania, Andrew P. McCrow, Mary R. Matthews, Sergei G. Kazarian, Marina K. Kuimova and Chris C. Phillips, Chem. Sci., 2011, 2, 107 DOI: 10.1039/c0sc00409j Also of interest Long-life light illuminates cells Platinum-based dyes for cell imaging glow for hundreds of times longer than conventional probes About this Magazine * Home * About Highlights in Chemical Science * Subscriptions * People and Contacts Reader Services * Latest Issue * Previous Issues * Instant insights * Interviews * E-Alerts Service Related Links * Chemistry World * Chemistry World Blog * Highlights in Chemical Biology * Highlights in Chemical Technology Tools Email Icon Email this to a friend Delicious Icon Add to del.icio.us Digg Icon Digg this story Facebook Icon Share on Facebook Newsvine Icon Seed Newsvine Reddit Icon Reddit this Twitter Icon Twitter this Related Products * Nanoscale * Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics * Energy & Environmental Science * Journal of Materials Chemistry * Soft Matter * Chemical Communications * MedChemComm RSC Advert RSC Advert RSC Advert Advertisements Advert Advert Advert Advert Advert Advert Terms & Conditions | Privacy | Accessibility | Sitemap | ACAP Enabled | Help © Royal Society of Chemistry 2011