Cell-TIMP: Cellular Trajectory Inference Based on Morphological Parameters

Area of Science:

• Biophysics
• Cell Biology
• Cancer Research

Background:

• Traditional cell morphology studies use staining, which can alter cell states and reduce accuracy via photobleaching.
• Existing shape-based analysis methods struggle to capture the dynamic, continuous nature of biological processes like cell differentiation and cancer progression.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a label-free method for quantitative cell morphology assessment.
• To adapt genomic analysis tools for trajectory inference based solely on morphological data.
• To investigate cell shape dynamics during leukemia and breast cancer metastasis.

Main Methods:

• Utilized quantitative phase imaging for label-free morphological assessment.
• Repurposed a genomic analysis toolbox for trajectory inference using morphology data.
• Applied the framework to analyze cell progression in leukemia and breast cancer metastasis models.

Main Results:

• Identified specific cell shape changes correlated with disease progression in leukemia.
• Detected key morphological alterations linked to breast cancer metastasis.
• Demonstrated the capability of morphology-based trajectory inference to track biological dynamics.

Conclusions:

• Quantitative phase imaging offers a non-disruptive approach to cell morphology analysis.
• Morphology-based trajectory inference can reveal critical insights into complex biological processes.
• This method holds potential for advancing the understanding of cancer progression and other dynamic diseases.