Spatiotemporal Characterization of a Fibrin Clot Using Quantitative Phase Imaging |
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| Authors: | Rajshekhar Gannavarpu Basanta Bhaduri Krishnarao Tangella Gabriel Popescu |
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| Institution: | 1. Quantitative Light Imaging Laboratory, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, United States of America.; 2. Department of Pathology, Christie Clinic, and University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, United States of America.; University of Pécs Medical School, Hungary, |
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| Abstract: | Studying the dynamics of fibrin clot formation and its morphology is an important problem in biology and has significant impact for several scientific and clinical applications. We present a label-free technique based on quantitative phase imaging to address this problem. Using quantitative phase information, we characterized fibrin polymerization in real-time and present a mathematical model describing the transition from liquid to gel state. By exploiting the inherent optical sectioning capability of our instrument, we measured the three-dimensional structure of the fibrin clot. From this data, we evaluated the fractal nature of the fibrin network and extracted the fractal dimension. Our non-invasive and speckle-free approach analyzes the clotting process without the need for external contrast agents. |
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