J Biomed Opt. 2011 Mar;16(3):030506. doi: 10.1117/1.3556717.
We have applied wide-field digital interferometry (WFDI) to examine the morphology and dynamics of live red blood cells (RBCs) from individuals who suffer from sickle cell anemia (SCA), a genetic disorder that affects the structure and mechanical properties of RBCs. WFDI is a noncontact, label-free optical microscopy approach that can yield quantitative thickness profiles of RBCs and measurements of their membrane fluctuations at the nanometer scale reflecting their stiffness. We find that RBCs from individuals with SCA are significantly stiffer than those from a healthy control. Moreover, we show that the technique is sensitive enough to distinguish classes of RBCs in SCA, including sickle RBCs with apparently normal morphology, compared to the stiffer crescent-shaped sickle RBCs. We expect that this approach will be useful for diagnosis of SCA and for determining efficacy of therapeutic agents.
我们应用宽场数字干涉测量术（WFDI）来研究患有镰状细胞贫血症（SCA）的个体的活红细胞（RBC）的形态和动力学，这是一种影响 RBC 结构和机械性能的遗传性疾病。WFDI 是一种非接触、无标记的光学显微镜方法，可以提供 RBC 的定量厚度轮廓，并测量其在纳米尺度上的膜波动，反映其刚性。我们发现，SCA 个体的 RBC 明显比健康对照组的 RBC 更硬。此外，我们表明，该技术足够灵敏，可以区分 SCA 中的 RBC 类别，包括形态上正常的镰状 RBC，与更硬的新月形镰状 RBC 相比。我们期望这种方法将有助于 SCA 的诊断，并确定治疗剂的疗效。
