The study, Biomechanics of subcellular structures by non-invasive Brillouin microscopy, published in Nature Scientific Reports 15 November 2016, revealed the biomechanics of intracellular structures, such as the intracellular envelope and the enclosed nucleoli, that were previously unknown, further showing how these compartments respond to external chemical stimuli.

This demonstrated the potential of this high-resolution, three-dimensional imaging technique to map the mechanical properties of single living cells in a non-invasive way, opening a new window into how cells respond to treatment.

High-resolution Brillouin image of a single cell in vitro.

A cross section through a single cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cell imaged using both Brillouin (a) and phase contrast (b) microscopy at 100x magnification. Cellular structures, such as the nuclear envelope (arrow) and nucleoli (*), are clearly recognisable in both image modalities.

A decade on, the field continues to move forward, building on these early insights to better understand living systems and what lies beneath the surface.

SpectoPhotonics are proud to be among the key drivers of this progress.

Explore the article to take a closer look here.