Summary
Published in ACS Nano (2024), this peer-reviewed study used 3D Petri Dish® micro-molds to form scaffold-free 3D microtissues. Full citation: Debruyne, Angela C., et al. Live Microscopy of Multicellular Spheroids with the Multimodal Near-Infrared Nanoparticles Reveals Differences in Oxygenation Gradients
Live Microscopy of Multicellular Spheroids with the Multimodal Near-Infrared Nanoparticles Reveals Differences in Oxygenation Gradients
Research Overview
Measuring hypoxia and metabolite gradients inside spheroids and organoids is analytically demanding. This study developed red/near-infrared emitting cell staining with oxygen-sensitive nanoparticles that works on a conventional fluorescence microscope — no specialized instrument required.
The ‘MMIR’ multimodal infrared nanosensors combine an NIR oxygen-sensitive metalloporphyrin (PtTPTBPF) with deep-red aza-BODIPY reference dyes in a biocompatible polymer shell, quantifying oxygen gradients through both fluorescence ratio and phosphorescence lifetime readouts, with staining protocols optimized for multicellular spheroids.
Key Discoveries
- MMIR nanosensors measured spheroid oxygenation on a conventional fluorescence microscope
- Dual readout via fluorescence ratio and phosphorescence lifetime quantified oxygen gradients
- Biocompatible polymer shell with NIR metalloporphyrin and aza-BODIPY reference dyes
