Abstract
The extra-cellular matrix (ECM) of the tissue significantly remodels during both development and disease. This is often perceived by the apparent changes to the bulk stiffness of the tissue. Nevertheless, the ECM micromechanical alterations and their implications to normal development and pathogenies remain poorly understood, largely due to the absence of high-resolution imaging tool for mapping the ECM stiffness at length scales sensed by cells. We have developed a novel optical imaging technology, termed laser speckle micro-rheology (LSM) that offers the unique capability to map the micro-mechanical properties of ECM, within the tissue. In LSM, the specimen is illuminated by a coherent laser beam and back-scattered speckle patterns are acquired by a high-speed camera. Spatio-temporal analysis of speckle frames yields the map of viscoelastic modulus, G. Here we demonstrate the capability of LSM for micro-mechanical mapping of the tissue through imaging a micro-structured phantoms and a normal human breast tissue specimens. These results open new avenues for investigating the mechano-biological mediators of disease and development in the future.
© 2019 SPIE/OSA
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