New label-free microscopy method combines optical techniques to visualize individual cells

ROCHESTER, NY, USA--Until now scientists have not had a noninvasive means of seeing how human cells (T cells, cancer cells, etc.) activate individually and evolve over time. But a novel label-free technique, developed at the University of Rochester (Rochester, NY), now permits rapid analysis of single human immune cells using only light. The advance promises to allow immunologists and others working in cell biology and cellular research to observe the responses of individual cellsto stimuli, rather than relying on aggregate statistical data from large cell populations.