High-Throughput Screening Raman Spectroscopy Platform for Label-Free Cellomics

Anal Chem. 2018 Feb 6;90(3):2023-2030. doi: 10.1021/acs.analchem.7b04127. Epub 2018 Jan 25.

Abstract

We present a high-throughput screening Raman spectroscopy (HTS-RS) platform for a rapid and label-free macromolecular fingerprinting of tens of thousands eukaryotic cells. The newly proposed label-free HTS-RS platform combines automated imaging microscopy with Raman spectroscopy to enable a rapid label-free screening of cells and can be applied to a large number of biomedical and clinical applications. The potential of the new approach is illustrated by two applications. (1) HTS-RS-based differential white blood cell count. A classification model was trained using Raman spectra of 52 218 lymphocytes, 48 220 neutrophils, and 7 294 monocytes from four volunteers. The model was applied to determine a WBC differential for two volunteers and three patients, producing comparable results between HTS-RS and machine counting. (2) HTS-RS-based identification of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in 1:1, 1:9, and 1:99 mixtures of Panc1 cells and leukocytes yielded ratios of 55:45, 10:90, and 3:97, respectively. Because the newly developed HTS-RS platform can be transferred to many existing Raman devices in all laboratories, the proposed implementation will lead to a significant expansion of Raman spectroscopy as a standard tool in biomedical cell research and clinical diagnostics.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Biochemistry / methods*
  • Blood Cells / cytology*
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • High-Throughput Screening Assays / methods*
  • Humans
  • Leukocyte Count / methods*
  • Neoplastic Cells, Circulating*
  • Spectrum Analysis, Raman / methods*