NIST researchers study imaging at the interface of materials science with biology.

NIST scientists have designed and built a multimodal optical coherence microscope (OCM) that they have dedicated to in vitro tissue engineering metrology. This OCM with a collinear confocal fluorescence microscope (OCM/CFM) was constructed to provide dual mode, high-resolution imaging of the structure and functions within materials.

Researchers have demonstrated that the OCM/CFM can volumetrically image the structure of a polymeric scaffold and, at the same time, visualize the functioning of cells within the scaffold though the detection of fluorescent markers. Polymeric tissue engineering scaffolds such as these can cause cells to grow into and speed the beginnings of new tissues and organs, thereby holding the promise to repair functionality destroyed by injury, disease, and aging.

The near-term plan for this project is to add the capability to perform Coherent Anti-Stokes Raman Spectroscopy to this system for three-dimensional characterization of chemical functionality within the scaffold. The ultimate goal is to develop an integrated metrology that will provide the user with the capability of correlating biological activity, chemical functionality, mechanical properties, and physical structure over a wide range of dimensions in complex systems, such as these scaffolds, for engineered tissue.

For further information, visit the Web site at www.nist.gov/polymers and under Search Polymers Web space, enter "OCM."

CONTACT: Joy Dunkers, [phone]; [e-mail] or Marcus Cicerone, [phone]; [e-mail].