The Technology
Mitochondrial volume is correlated with cell function and internal cell processes. Changes in mitochondrial volume were associated with advanced states of cardiac disease. Thus, measurements of mitochondrial dimension deformations are important to the understanding of cell function and its deterioration. Existing methods either allow measurements of the volume of isolated mitochondria, which are an inferior model to that of isolated cells, or they allow short time measurements that are toxic to the cells. Recent studies have discovered that mitochondrial deformation along a given cell axis can be measured by using the Fourier transformation on the variation in transmitted light intensity induced by the periodic lattice of myofilaments alternating with mitochondrial rows. However, this method was used only offline and in a line scan mode, making it impossible to measure both axes.
The current invention designed as a program in LabVIEW to take advantage of the transmitted light diffraction technique and quantify mitochondrial two-dimension (2D) deformation in cardiomyocytes, in situ in real time for long periods (more than several seconds).
Quantification of mitochondrial 2D deformations is a powerful tool for exploring cell biophysics and bioenergetics mechanisms and will lay the foundation for a future clinical tool for quantifying mitochondrial volume changes associated with different cardiac diseases.
Advantages
- A program for mitochondrial dimensions analysis that can also analyse sarcomere length using any camera.
- The program runs on Lab View a platform that allows real time measurements and post analysis processing
- The program can successfully find peaks in the FFT graphs created based on the ROI selected by the user
- Can measure sarcomere length and mitochondrial dimensions of cardiomyocytes
- The program can accurately analyze images acquired from different cameras
- No commercial program exist to run the analysis in real time and off line.
Applications and Opportunities
- Quantification of mitochondrial 2D deformations is a powerful tool for exploring cell biophysics and bioenergetics mechanisms
- A valuable tool for scientist studying cardiac energetics, mechanics, and the underlying mechanisms of cardiac diseases.
- Program enabling it to analyse and measure the real time changes of dimensions of sarcomere and mitochondria in situ, including the possibility of conducting a later offline analysis.
Business Development Contacts