Literature Seminar

Biomechanical properties of cells have emerged as an important indicator in characterizing cancer tumor progression. Traditional biomechanical techniques are quite limited. Most are considered invasive and cannot be used to study the depth of both cellular and tissue microenvironments.  Brillouin confocal microscopy is a non-invasive, 3D optical technique commonly used in materials science and condensed matter physics to measure elastic properties. Similar to Raman light scattering, Brillouin light scattering is the inelastic scattering of light from acoustic phonons within a sample. Although previously limited in its application to biological samples, the recent development of the Virtually Imaged Phase Array (VIPA) spectrometer has allowed Brillouin confocal microscopy to emerge as a powerful tool in biomechanical studies.  In this talk, I will review a study with three key aims: (1) To showcase the potential for noncontact, high-resolution 3D-imaging using Brillouin confocal microscopy; (2) validation of Brillouin confocal microscopy against atomic force microscopy (AFM); and (3) the ability to demonstrate the effect of a common cancer therapeutic on cancer nodules using Brillouin confocal microscopy.

1. Nikolić, Miloš, Christina Conrad, Jitao Zhang, and Giuliano Scarcelli. “Noninvasive Imaging: Brillouin Confocal Microscopy.” In Biomechanics in Oncology, edited by Cheng Dong, Nastaran Zahir, and Konstantinos Konstantopoulos, 351–64. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology. Cham: Springer International Publishing, 2018. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-95294-9_16.
2. Caponi, Silvia, Claudio Canale, Ornella Cavalleri, and Massimo Vassalli. “Characterization Tools for Mechanical Probing of Biomimetic Materials.” In Nanotechnology Characterization Tools for Tissue Engineering and Medical Therapy, edited by Challa S.S.R. Kumar, 69–111. Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer, 2019. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-59596-1_2.
3. Palombo, F.; Fioretto, D. Brillouin Light Scattering: Applications in Biomedical Sciences. Rev. 2019, 119 (13), 7833-7847. DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.9b00019
4. Conrad, C.; Gray, K. M.; Stroka, K. M.; Rizvi, I.; Scarcelli, G. Mechanical Characterization of 3D Ovarian Cancer Nodules Using Brillouin Confocal Microscopy. Cell Mol Bioeng 2019, 12 (3), 215-226. DOI: 10.1007/512195-019-00570-7