Tufts University

Dimitra Pouli

Irene Georgakoudi

Kyle Quinn

Zhiyi Liu

Methods and corresponding apparatus and systems for assessing cellular metabolic activity are disclosed. In one aspect, a cell can be illuminated with optical radiation in order to cause multi-photon excitation of at least one endogenous metabolic cofactor in that cell and cause the excited metabolic cofactor to emit fluorescent radiation. A detector can be used to detect the fluorescent radiation emitted by the excited endogenous metabolic cofactor. A computer processor can analyze the fluorescent radiation to derive the following parameters: (1) using a computer processor to analyze the intensity of the fluorescent radiation, (2) a fluorescence lifetime of at least one of the excited metabolic cofactor, (3) a parameter indicative of mitochondrial clustering in the cell. These parameters can be used to assess at least one metabolic process of the cell.

Growing community of inventors

Medford, MA, United States of America

Dimitra Pouli