Photonic hyperspectral no-label spotter (PHENOSPOT)

The function of cells within our bodies is coordinated by molecules that are passed between them. To properly understand these signalling events, we need tools that allow us to understand how different types of cells secrete these molecules, and how such messages propagate. Current tools either measure secretion from a large number of cells at a single time point, they may interfere with physiological function by using labels, or they have to destroy the cells in order to analyse them. Here, we propose a fundamentally different imaging technique, which we term "Phenospot" and which is based on optical resonances that allow us to monitor the response of live cells in great detail. As a result, we can obtain a better understanding of many processes critical for health including the immune system or cancer progression and provide new ways to help prevent or treat disease, for example through better vaccines.