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Quantitative phase imaging in biomedicine

Nature Photonics volume 12, pages 578–589 (2018)Cite this article

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Abstract

Quantitative phase imaging (QPI) has emerged as a valuable method for investigating cells and tissues. QPI operates on unlabelled specimens and, as such, is complementary to established fluorescence microscopy, exhibiting lower phototoxicity and no photobleaching. As the images represent quantitative maps of optical path length delays introduced by the specimen, QPI provides an objective measure of morphology and dynamics, free of variability due to contrast agents. Owing to the tremendous progress witnessed especially in the past 10–15 years, a number of technologies have become sufficiently reliable and translated to biomedical laboratories. Commercialization efforts are under way and, as a result, the QPI field is now transitioning from a technology-development-driven to an application-focused field. In this Review, we aim to provide a critical and objective overview of this dynamic research field by presenting the scientific context, main principles of operation and current biomedical applications.

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Fig. 1: Principles of QPI measurements.
Fig. 2: Converting QPI into light-scattering information.
Fig. 3: Approaches for tomographic QPI.
Fig. 4: Applications of QPI in basic science.
Fig. 5: Applications of QPI in medicine.

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Acknowledgements

Y.K.P. was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea (2017M3C1A3013923, 2015R1A3A2066550, 2017K000396). G.P. was supported by the National Science Foundation (STC CBET 0939511, NSF BRAIN EAGER DBI 1450962, IIP-1353368).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physics, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, Republic of Korea

    YongKeun Park

  2. KAIST Institute for Health Science and Technology, Daejeon, Republic of Korea

    YongKeun Park

  3. Tomocube Inc., Daejeon, Republic of Korea

    YongKeun Park

  4. Microvision and Microdiagnostic Group (SCI STI CHD), Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland

    Christian Depeursinge

  5. Laboratory for Cellular Imaging and Energetics, Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, Saudi Arabia

    Christian Depeursinge

  6. Departments of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Bioengineering, Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA

    Gabriel Popescu

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Y.K.P. has financial interest in Tomocube. C.D. has financial interest in Lyncee Tech and Nanolive. G.P. has financial interest in Phi Optics. All these companies commercialize QPI instruments.

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Park, Y., Depeursinge, C. & Popescu, G. Quantitative phase imaging in biomedicine. Nature Photon 12, 578–589 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41566-018-0253-x

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