New method uses artificial intelligence to study live cells

IMAGE: Time-lapse gradient light interference microscopy, or GLIM, left, and phase imaging with computational specificity imaged over seven days. Researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign have developed a new technique that combines label-free imaging with artificial intelligence to visualize unlabeled live cells over a prolonged time. This technique has potential applications in studying cell viability and pathology. The study "Phase imaging with computational specificity (PICS) for measuring dry mass changes in sub-cellular compartments" was published in Nature Communications. "Our lab specializes in label-free imaging, which allows us to visualize cells without using toxic chemicals," said Gabriel Popescu, a professor of electrical and computer engineering and the director of the Quantitative Light Imaging Laboratory at the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology.