Investigations on Label-Free Identification of Subcellular Tumor Cell Structures by Digital Holographic Phase Contrast Microscopy

Digital holographic microscopy (DHM) offers a quantitative phase contrast for minimally invasive analysis of living single cells and cell cultures with low demands on (label-free) sample preparation. In order to interpret DHM images for analysis of subcellular structures, comparative investigations were performed using fluorescence microscopy with DAPI-staining (4',6-Diamidino-2-phenylindol), since the latter allows identification of cell components containing DNA. Results from statistical studies on adherent pancreas tumor cells with fluorescence microscopy and DHM show that nucleus components can be identified label-free in digital holographic phase contrast images.