Summary
Published in Biomedical Optics Express (2026), this peer-reviewed study used 3D Petri Dish® micro-molds to form scaffold-free 3D microtissues. Full citation: Swanson, Steph, et al. Longitudinal investigation of prostate tumor spheroid proliferation with dynamic line-field optical coherence tomography
Longitudinal investigation of prostate tumor spheroid proliferation with dynamic line-field optical coherence tomography
Research Overview
Dynamic optical coherence tomography visualizes and quantifies cellular activity inside 3D cultures by analyzing temporal fluctuations in scattered light — no contrast agents required — but volumetric acquisition has been too slow to follow living samples well. This study used a line-field dOCT platform to track prostate tumor spheroid growth morphologically and dynamically over two weeks.
Each spheroid’s full volume was acquired in 16 seconds. The dynamic signal clearly separated actively metabolizing live spheroids from formaldehyde-fixed ones, and was validated quantitatively against the Alamar Blue metabolic assay — establishing label-free, longitudinal monitoring of spheroid proliferation.
Key Discoveries
- Line-field dOCT captured full spheroid volumes in 16 seconds, overcoming prior speed limits
- Two-week longitudinal tracking of prostate tumor spheroid growth without contrast agents
- Dynamic signal distinguished live from fixed spheroids and was validated against Alamar Blue
