Imaging cytometry technology is focus of skin cancer research collaboration

The University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) and Phase Holographic Imaging (PHI; Lund, Sweden) are collaborating to accelerate ongoing skin cancer research using PHI's HoloMonitor M4 label-free holographic imaging cytometry technology. The program will focus on establishing the best practices and validating the most useful HoloMonitor M4 parameters for simultaneous detection of changes in proliferation, cell death, and motility in primary human melanomas and cultured melanocytes.

The collaboration will be led by Robert Judson, Ph.D., UCSF Sandler Faculty Fellow and NIH Early Independence Award Fellow, whose interests are focused on developing novel strategies for early detection of melanoma. "Using techniques in molecular biology, biochemistry, genetics, imaging, and tissue culture, we are probing a variety of intrinsic and extrinsic factors for their ability to render melanocytes susceptible to malignant transformation," Judson explains. "The original purchase of PHI's HoloMonitor M4 instrument in 2014 was essential for our ability to detect subtle changes in a variety of oncogenic phenotypes with single-cell resolution within larger populations. As a label-free, non-toxic imaging system, the M4 provides us the means to begin investigating the immediate reaction of melanoma cells to acute environmental and genetic stimuli. The new instrument equipped with motorized stage and advanced data acquisition software will bring additional benefits of automated walk-away analysis and higher throughput."

As a result of this collaboration, UCSF and PHI expect to validate novel label-free cellular assays, develop best HoloMonitor technology practices, and apply them to testing of therapeutic agents in primary and genetically engineered melanoma cell lines.

For more information, please visit http://www.phiab.se.

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