Meta-surface plasmon resonance microscopy for sensitive, high-throughput, and long-term label-free analysis of cell
Mingqian Chen1,2, Wen Li1,2, Taoyu Hu1,2
1Department of Nano Biosensing and Artificial Intelligence, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430079, PR China.
Journal of Nanobiotechnology
|December 2, 2025
Summary
Meta-Surface Plasmon Resonance Microscopy (Meta-SPRM) offers sensitive, label-free monitoring of cell adhesion dynamics. This novel technique quantifies cell-substrate interactions and migration direction with high resolution.
Area of Science:
- Biophysics
- Cell Biology
- Microscopy
Background:
- Quantitative, label-free monitoring of dynamic cell adhesion is a significant challenge in cell biology.
- Existing methods often lack the sensitivity, throughput, or long-term capabilities required for comprehensive analysis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce and validate Meta-Surface Plasmon Resonance Microscopy (Meta-SPRM) as a novel platform for quantitative, label-free monitoring of dynamic cell adhesion.
- To demonstrate Meta-SPRM's ability to provide multifaceted insights into cell-substrate interactions and dynamics.
Main Methods:
- Integration of bright-field microscopy with engineered Meta-SPR nanocup arrays.
- Simultaneous acquisition and computational separation of bright-field and Meta-SPRM signals.
- High-throughput, long-term label-free quantification of cell adhesion strength and distribution at micrometer resolution.
Main Results:
- Meta-SPRM enables sensitive, high-throughput, and long-term label-free quantification of cell adhesion.
- The system captures dynamic processes such as cell spreading and migration.
- Meta-SPRM signals show spatial correlation with focal adhesion proteins (Integrin-β1, Vinculin) and intracellular signal polarity correlates with migration direction.
Conclusions:
- Meta-SPRM is a powerful, label-free tool for studying dynamic cell adhesion.
- This technique overcomes limitations of traditional methods, offering multifaceted insights into cell-substrate interactions.
- Meta-SPRM provides a new avenue for high-resolution, quantitative analysis of cellular dynamics.
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