Quantitative phase microscopic imaging of embryonic stem cell dynamics

In the present day scenario embryonic stem (ES) cells are very important for the development of cell-based therapeutic strategies. Studying the dynamics of ES cells will provide information on their temporal evolution, which will be useful for their further development. Bright field microscopy cannot provide quantitative information since stem cell colonies are non-pigmented and relatively transparent and so do not produce appreciable variation to the amplitude of electromagnetic radiation passing through them. This necessitates the use of phase contrast imaging techniques for studying their dynamics. Digital holography with its interferometric evaluation capability is an ideal tool for quantitatively observing the spatial and temporal evolution of ES cells. Digital holographic interferometric microscopy (DHIM) is used for imaging stem cell colonies and it provides quantitative information on the evolution of optical volume, path length change and lateral and axial growth.