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Updated: Mar 21, 2026
Longitudinal Morphological and Physiological Monitoring of Three-dimensional Tumor Spheroids Using Optical Coherence Tomography
Published on: February 9, 2019
Dynamic optical coherence microscope integrated with cell-cultivation chamber enabled longitudinal and early-stage
Ibrahim Abd El-Sadek1,2, Rion Morishita1, Yu Guo1
1Computational Optics Group, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8573, Japan.
Abstract:
We present an integrated system that combines dynamic optical coherence tomography (DOCT) with a small cell-cultivation chamber to enable high-sensitivity and high-temporal-resolution imaging of tumor spheroid's drug response. Unlike conventional OCT-based volume measurement, which only captures late-stage morphological changes, our system captures early-stage changes in spheroid's intracellular activity. The compact chamber, positioned beneath the DOCT probe, maintains a cell-culture environment (37 [Formula: see text]C, 5% CO[Formula: see text]) while allowing frequent system access without disturbing the cultivation environment. The proposed system was used to monitor human breast cancer (MCF-7) spheroids response to doxorubicin hydrochloride, tamoxifen citrate, and paclitaxel over 100 hours at 4-hour intervals. While standard OCT-based volume measurement failed to detect early-stage drug concentration impacts, DOCT signals revealed statistically significant differences among the drug concentrations as early as 12 hours. Additionally, high-temporal-resolution imaging at 30-minute intervals over 100 hours revealed rapid and subtle changes in the spheroid morphology and DOCT signals. The results demonstrate that the proposed integrated system of DOCT and cultivation chamber provides a superior, early-readout platform for label-free anti-cancer drug testing compared to traditional structural OCT imaging.
Insights
This study introduces a novel system combining dynamic optical coherence tomography (DOCT) and a cell-cultivation chamber for sensitive, high-temporal-resolution imaging of tumor spheroid drug responses, enabling early detection of anti-cancer drug effects.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Optics
- Cancer Research
- Drug Discovery
Background:
- Conventional optical coherence tomography (OCT) volume measurement detects late-stage morphological changes in tumor spheroids.
- Early-stage intracellular activity and subtle morphological changes are missed by standard OCT methods.
- Accurate and timely assessment of anti-cancer drug efficacy is crucial for effective treatment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and validate an integrated system combining dynamic OCT (DOCT) with a cell-cultivation chamber.
- To enable high-sensitivity and high-temporal-resolution imaging of tumor spheroid drug response.
- To provide an early-readout platform for label-free anti-cancer drug testing.
Main Methods:
- Integration of a compact cell-cultivation chamber with a DOCT system.
- Maintenance of a stable cell-culture environment (37°C, 5% CO2) within the chamber.
- Monitoring of human breast cancer (MCF-7) spheroids treated with doxorubicin hydrochloride, tamoxifen citrate, and paclitaxel over 100 hours at 4-hour intervals, with high-temporal-resolution imaging at 30-minute intervals.
Main Results:
- DOCT signals revealed statistically significant differences in drug concentrations as early as 12 hours, outperforming standard OCT volume measurement.
- High-temporal-resolution imaging captured rapid and subtle changes in spheroid morphology and DOCT signals.
- The integrated system demonstrated superior sensitivity and temporal resolution for detecting early-stage drug impacts.
Conclusions:
- The integrated DOCT and cultivation chamber system offers a superior platform for label-free anti-cancer drug testing.
- This system enables early detection of drug responses, surpassing traditional structural OCT imaging.
- The findings support the use of this advanced imaging approach for accelerated drug screening and personalized medicine.
