Abstract

The authors have proposed and tested the new type of the microscope with superimposed interference and fluorescence images of the living cell. The fluorescence image gives the information about the distribution of drugs in different parts of the cell. Interference microscopy technique allows implementing the quantitative analysis of a living transparent cell, for example, to measure dry cell weight and cell density spatial distribution. Interference microscopy makes possibility the observation cell vital activity at dynamics. Computer-aided processing of interferograms using phase shift technique, allows carrying out continuous (over 12 hours and more) monitoring of living cells quantitative parameters with time interval between measurements less than one minute. RMS error for dry weight of non-living fixed test object using this microscope is about 1%.

© 2001 OSA/SPIE