Dynamic Quantitative Imaging:Instrumentation and Applications in Regenerative Medicine and Protein Engineering

Recent advances in quantitative imaging technology have created new opportunities in life science research and diagnostic medicine.   Faculty members of the Stanford Photonics Research Center have pioneered novel approaches in many areas of the life sciences and medicine:  Neuroscience, Immunology, Pathology, Radiology, Regenerative Medicine, and Protein Engineering.  In my talk I will describe two new applications of quantitative imaging, based on combining several technologies:  novel imaging architectures, high throughput microfluidics, and automated image analysis software.  I will describe an approach which addresses QA/QC challenges in the emerging applications of stem cells in regenerative medicine and will also discuss ultra-high throughput quantitative imaging methods applied to protein engineering.  Both approaches rely on automated analysis of millions of imaged objects to obtain morphological information which can determine, for example, cell phenotype and/or protein function.   We demonstrate how these approaches can provide important information about safety and efficacy of stem cell derived tissue for transplantation, and can be used as part of a very high throughput platform for engineering of proteins with specific desired biological function.