Nov. 22, 2011

Optically Measuring Single Cell Mass

The ability to measure single cell growth is of fundamental importance to our understanding of biological systems. Despite several major efforts, studying this phenomenon has remained largely intangible due to the simple fact that cells are small and only double their mass during their lifetime. In order to draw conclusions on growth trends and gain insight on growth regulatory systems, the required sensitivity to mass is in the order of femtograms.

Introduction
moreAug. 29, 2011

Spatial Light Interference Microscopy: Sheding Light on Cell Growth

Led by electrical and computer engineering professor Gabriel Popescu , the research team developed a new imaging method called spatial light interference microscopy (SLIM) that can measure cell mass using two beams of light. Described in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, the SLIM technique offers new insight into the much-debated problem of whether cells grow at a constant rate or exponentially. moreApr. 30, 2010

Revealing Mechanics of Blood Cell Membranes

Thanks to an interdisciplinary team of researchers, scientists now have a more complete understanding of one of the human body's most vital structures: the red blood cell. Led by University of Illinois (USA) electrical and computer engineering professor Gabriel Popescu, the team developed a model that could lead to breakthroughs in screening and treatment of blood-cell-morphology diseases, such as malaria and sickle-cell disease. The group published its findings in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. more