Characterization of living cells by Interometric Techniques: Speckle and Digital Holographic Microscopy

• Grant number: 14/21646-9
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: December 01, 2015
• End date: January 31, 2020
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Physics - General Physics
• Principal Investigator: Adriano Mesquita Alencar
• Grantee: Isis Vasconcelos de Brito
• Host Institution: Instituto de Física (IF). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 13/17368-0 - Cardiovascular genomics: mechanisms & novel therapeutics - CVGen mech2ther, AP.TEM

Abstract

One of the main problems in cellular mechanics can be delineated around the mechanisms that are responsible for rheological properties of cells, and these properties are determined by their phenotype and genotype, besides their metabolic activity. It is known that some of these properties are controlled by the entropic dynamics of their fibers, but the physical basis of this theory remains unclear. Several techniques have been developed in the Optical field, but a constant challenge consists in the application of these techniques in constant moving materials, as living cells. In this project, is intended to understand one of the mechanisms that alter the rheological properties of cells comparing the results obtained by optical techniques with those obtained by standard models: Traction Force Microscopy (TFM), Speckle technique and Digital Holographic Microscopy. These techniques are complementary and capable of measuring specific rheological properties. The first is used to measure the cell tension over a substrate and the other two are used to measure optical properties of the cell, as refractive index fluctuations, which are related with cellular activity. Employing these techniques, we expect to find correlations between the focus of these cellular activities. The determination of these properties will be useful for developing medicines, for prevention and revision of some heart problems, and will contribute to the basic understanding of cellular physiology. This project has as a challenge to innovate technologically, since, either Speckle technique, as Digital Holographic Microscopy are not the standard methodology for this study, while answers relevant scientific questions, as the physical basis of rheological changes in cells.

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

BLOISE, ANTONIO CARLOS; DOS SANTOS, JENNIFER ADRIANE; DE BRITO, ISIS VASCONCELOS; BASSANEZE, VINICIUS; GOMES, LIGIA FERREIRA; ALENCAR, ADRIANO MESQUITA. Discriminating aspects of global metabolism of neonatal cardiomyocytes from wild type and KO-CSRP3 rats using proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy of culture media samples. IN VITRO CELLULAR & DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY-ANIMAL, SEP 2020. (14/22102-2, 11/19678-1, 18/20910-5, 13/17368-0, 14/21646-9)

DORTA, MARCEL P.; DE BRITO, ISIS V.; PEREIRA, ALEXANDRE C.; ALENCAR, ADRIANO M.. Quantification of alignment of vascular smooth muscle cells. Cytometry Part A, v. 93A, n. 5, p. 533-539, MAY 2018. (14/21646-9, 14/22102-2, 12/07059-8)

BLOISE, ANTONIO CARLOS; DOS SANTOS, JENNIFER ADRIANE; DE BRITO, ISIS VASCONCELOS; BASSANEZE, VINICIUS; GOMES, LIGIA FERREIRA; ALENCAR, ADRIANO MESQUITA. Discriminating aspects of global metabolism of neonatal cardiomyocytes from wild type and KO-CSRP3 rats using proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy of culture media samples. IN VITRO CELLULAR & DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY-ANIMAL, v. 56, n. 8, p. 10-pg., 2020-09-10. (14/22102-2, 14/21646-9, 18/20910-5, 11/19678-1, 13/17368-0)