Toward Deep Biophysical Cytometry: Prospects and Challenges.

Trends Biotechnol

Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong; Advanced Biomedical Instrumentation Centre, Hong Kong Science Park, Shatin, New Territories, Hong Kong. Electronic address:

Published: December 2021

The biophysical properties of cells reflect their identities, underpin their homeostatic state in health, and define the pathogenesis of disease. Recent leapfrogging advances in biophysical cytometry now give access to this information, which is obscured in molecular assays, with a discriminative power that was once inconceivable. However, biophysical cytometry should go 'deeper' in terms of exploiting the information-rich cellular biophysical content, generating a molecular knowledge base of cellular biophysical properties, and standardizing the protocols for wider dissemination. Overcoming these barriers, which requires concurrent innovations in microfluidics, optical imaging, and computer vision, could unleash the enormous potential of biophysical cytometry not only for gaining a new mechanistic understanding of biological systems but also for identifying new cost-effective biomarkers of disease.

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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tibtech.2021.03.006DOI Listing

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