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Published on: April 8, 2016
Quantitative Histopathology of Stained Tissues using Color Spatial Light Interference Microscopy (cSLIM)
Hassaan Majeed1, Adib Keikhosravi2, Mikhail E Kandel3
1Quantitative Light Imaging (QLI) Lab, Department of Bioengineering, Beckman Institute of Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, 405 N. Matthews, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA.
Color spatial light interference microscopy (cSLIM) offers a new way to analyze stained tissue biopsies. This quantitative phase imaging technique provides prognostic information from collagen fiber alignment, aiding cancer diagnosis and treatment.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Pathology
- Optical Imaging
Background:
- Clinical tissue biopsy evaluation requires quantitative markers for diagnosis and prognosis.
- Quantitative Phase Imaging (QPI) shows potential for histopathology by revealing intrinsic nanoarchitecture via refractive index.
- Existing QPI methods typically image unstained tissues, conflicting with standard histopathology workflows.
Purpose of the Study:
- Introduce color spatial light interference microscopy (cSLIM) as a whole-slide imaging modality for stained tissues.
- Demonstrate cSLIM's capability to acquire both phase maps and standard bright-field images simultaneously.
- Validate cSLIM's potential for stain-independent prognostic information in breast cancer.
Main Methods:
- Developed cSLIM, a novel interferometric imaging technique utilizing a color detector array for stained whole-slide imaging.
- Acquired intrinsic tissue phase maps and standard color bright-field images in a single scan.
- Applied mathematical normalization to correct for staining effects on phase maps.
Main Results:
- cSLIM successfully imaged 196 breast cancer patient samples, yielding both phase and bright-field data.
- Analysis of collagen fiber alignment in the tumor microenvironment provided prognostic information.
- Stain-independent prognostic insights were derived from the phase maps.
Conclusions:
- cSLIM integrates quantitative phase imaging with standard histopathology, overcoming previous limitations.
- The technology offers stain-independent prognostic capabilities by analyzing tissue nanoarchitecture.
- cSLIM has the potential to reduce barriers for clinical translation in cancer diagnostics.
