It is almost impossible to image the inside of a living cell without damaging it, even with the most modern devices. Traditional microscopy techniques require researchers to prepare their samples well in advance (1–72 hours). These procedures are likely to be invasive to the cells (risk of cell damage and cell stress). The 3D Cell Explorer was created using a disruptive technology which, for the first time, allows users to explore instantly the inside of a living cell in 3D without the need for any labeling or other invasive methods. More about label-free imaging here.
Observing biological phenomenon with the 3D Cell Explorer
The video shows mouse pre-Adipocytes which will become fat cells. It is possible to clearly observe lipid droplets and mitochondria among other features.
In particular, the mitochondrial dynamics are in full display, with fusion and fission events, and it is intriguing to notice that many lipid droplets seem to be attached to mitochondrial tubules.
Such phenomena is highly interesting for the field of metabolism research. Why do certain lipid droplets stay so close to mitochondria?
This is a prime example of the extremely rich type of time lapse imaging one can obtain with the 3D Cell Explorer that works label-free – allowing a broad range of biological processes to be observed all at once.
This video shows another example of label-free live cell imaging of mouse pre-adipocytes (imaged for 1h40m).
