Dynamic optical coherence tomography for cell analysis [Invited]

Label-free live optical imaging of dynamic cellular and subcellular features has been made possible in recent years thanks to the advances made in optical imaging techniques, including dynamic optical coherence tomography (D-OCT) methods. These techniques analyze the temporal fluctuations of an optical signal associated with the active movements of intracellular organelles to obtain an ensemble metric recapitulating the motility and metabolic state of cells. They hence enable visualization of cells within compact, static environments and evaluate their physiology. These emerging microscopies show promise, in particular for the three-dimensional evaluation of live tissue samples such as freshly excised biopsies and 3D cell cultures. In this review, we compare the various techniques used for dynamic OCT. We give an overview of the range of applications currently being explored and discuss the future outlook and opportunities for the field. & COPY; 2023 Optica Publishing Group under the terms of the Optica Open Access Publishing Agreement

Automated summary

Recent advances in optical imaging techniques, including dynamic optical coherence tomography (D-OCT) methods, have enabled label-free live optical imaging of dynamic cellular and subcellular features. These techniques analyze the temporal fluctuations of an optical signal associated with intracellular organelle movements to obtain a metric representing cell motility and metabolic state. They allow visualization of cells in compact, static environments and evaluation of their physiology. This review compares various dynamic OCT techniques, discusses current applications, and explores future prospects for the field.