An imaging system according to an embodiment may include an ultrasonic oscillation part configured to apply ultrasonic waves to a sample, an image acquisition part configured to acquire a plurality of images of the sample deformed by the ultrasonic waves, and a computation part configured to compute a deformation rate on the basis of a change in thickness of the sample from the plurality of images, in which the computation part computes an elastic modulus of the sample on the basis of intensity of the ultrasonic waves and the deformation rate of the sample.

A monitoring device of biological cells including: a fluidic channel in which a fluid including biological cells is made to flow, including a first and second glass walls placed in parallel and a reflective surface adjoined to the second wall; and a piezoelectric transducer, the piezoelectric transducer emitting acoustic waves creating a force acting on the biological cells, making them flow substantially along a single motion plane. The external interface between the first wall and the exterior of the fluidic channel and the reflective surface are configured to function as a Fabry-Perot interferometer, such that the motion planes sensibly perpendicular to the optical axis of the Fabry-Perot interferometer. The finesse of the interferometer is lower than 10. The monitoring device further includes a detecting unit detecting a fringe pattern stemming from the Fabry-Perot interferometer and an analysing device, analysing the fringe pattern and configured to output data on physical properties of the cells based on the pattern.

A microfluidic device system includes a channel having an entrance and an exit, a height at the entrance being greater than a height at the exit. The height of the channel may decrease continuously from the height at the entrance to the height at the exit. Cells or particles or beads traveling through the channel become trapped based on their size and/or deformability. A visual sensor captures images of the trapped cells or particles or beads, and image software analyzes the captured images to provide size and/or deformability and/or fluorescence information. A method of fabricating such a microfluidic device includes introducing a glass wafer to an etching solution at a specific rate such that a first end of the glass wafer is etched longer than other portions of the glass wafer.

A MEMS-based particle manipulation system which uses a particle manipulation stage and optical confirmation of the manipulation. The optical confirmation may be camera-based, and may be used to assess the effectiveness or accuracy of the particle manipulation stage. In one exemplary embodiment, the particle manipulation stage is a microfabricated, fluid valve, which sorts a target particle from non-target particles in a fluid stream. The optical confirmation stage is disposed in the microfabricated fluid channels at the input and output of the microfabricated sorting valve. Deep learning techniques are brought to bear on the camera output to increase speed, accuracy and reliability.

An apparatus for detecting a spatial elongation of at least one adherent biological cell is provided. The apparatus contains at least one biological cell, which is adhered to a substrate, a laser for irradiating the at least one biological cell for a spatial elongation of the cell in a direction parallel to the irradiation direction and a detector for detecting the spatial elongation of the cell in the direction parallel to the radiation direction. Further, a corresponding method for spatial elongation of an adherent biological cell is provided and the uses of the apparatus and of the method proposed. Using the apparatus and method, it is possible to ascertain, from parts of adherent cells to entire groups of adherent cells, the mechanical properties in the natural, adherent state of the cell(s) in spatially selective, temporally selective and contactless fashion.

A microfluidic device system includes a channel having an entrance and an exit, a height at the entrance being greater than a height at the exit. The height of the channel may decrease continuously from the height at the entrance to the height at the exit. Cells or particles or beads traveling through the channel become trapped based on their size and/or deformability. A visual sensor captures images of the trapped cells or particles or beads, and image software analyzes the captured images to provide size and/or deformability and/or fluorescence information. A method of fabricating such a microfluidic device includes introducing a glass wafer to an etching solution at a specific rate such that a first end of the glass wafer is etched longer than other portions of the glass wafer.

A microfluidic device containing an inlet, a microchannel in fluid communication with the inlet, and a plurality of outlets in fluid communication with the microchannel. The microchannel contains a loop; or from about 1 loop to about 50 loops; or from about 2 loops to about 25 loops; or from about 5 loops to about 15 loops. A method for detecting an infected cell may employ the microfluidic device.

Systems and methods are provided for Quantitative Phase Microscopes (QPM) having laser systems including one or more of laser scissors and laser tweezers. In one embodiment, the system includes one or more structural elements, such as a stage and dichroic plate for operation of a QPM with laser scissors/tweezers. Another embodiment is directed to a method of operating a QPM system having laser scissors/tweezers. One or more solutions are provided for biodmedical applications of a QPM system including simulation and analysis of trauma on cellular structures and organelles. Processes are also provided for simulation and analysis of traumatic injury, including imaging and analysis of astrocytes.

Disclosed is a method for analysing cells, in which cells are separated and the individual cells pass via a measurement region of a unit for spatially resolved radiation intensity measurement, wherein, for at least one of the separated cells, when passing via the measurement region, a time sequence of spatial intensity patterns of an electromagnetic radiation emitted from and/or influenced by the cell is created, the optical flow of a respective two of the spatial intensity patterns is calculated for at least one portion of the sequence of intensity patterns using a computer unit, and an evaluation of the calculated optical flows occurs. Also disclosed is a device for analysing cells, comprising a device for separating cells, a unit for spatially resolved radiation intensity measurement, and a computer unit for calculating the optical flow of a respective two of the created intensity patterns, and for evaluating the calculated optical flows.

The present disclosure provides a method for identifying a nucleic acid, which may comprise incubating a cell that has been or is suspected of having been transfected or transduced with an exogenous ribonucleic acid (RNA) molecule or an exogenous deoxyribonucleic (DNA) molecule. Next, a morphological change of the cell may be identified. Next, contents of the cell may be processed to identify a nucleic acid sequence or a peptide, polypeptide, or protein or a sequence of the peptide, polypeptide, or protein. Next, the nucleic acid sequence or the peptide, polypeptide, or protein or the sequence of the peptide, polypeptide, or protein may be analyzed to determine an exogenous sequence of the exogenous RNA molecule or the exogenous DNA molecule. Next, the exogenous sequence of the exogenous RNA molecule or the exogenous DNA molecule may be identified as effecting the morphological change of the cell. The exogenous RNA molecule or the exogenous DNA molecule may encode genes or peptides, polypeptides, or proteins that inhibit, activate, or modulate a biochemical pathway within the cell, thereby causing the morphological change of the cell.