Cell Biology

The non-invasive and label-free nature of confocal Raman microscopy makes it a powerful technique for cell biology applications. By using laser excitation and the inelastic scattering of light by molecules, it provides valuable chemical and structural information about the cellular environment. As a result, you can visualize different biomolecules, including lipids, proteins and nucleic acids and their distribution in the cell. Current research in cell biology uses Raman imaging particularly to study cellular processes such as lipid organization, metabolism, infection and drug uptake ^[1-7]. The high spatial resolution and chemical specificity of confocal Raman imaging make it a valuable tool for understanding the complex dynamics of cells in various biological processes.

The outstanding Raman technology in WITec systems provides highest resolution, speed and sensitivity simultaneously, to deliver the best results from your valuable samples. With their unmatched versatility, WITec Raman microscopes are the optimal base to adapt to your research requirements now and in the future. For biological applications that work with living specimens, we offer compatible devices for environmental and temperature control.

Confocal Raman imaging of living cells

Since confocal Raman imaging is a non-destructive microscopy technique, it is well suited for studying living cells in their physiological surroundings without damaging them. In this example, epithelial rat cells were investigated with a WITec alpha300 Raman microscope. Typical Raman spectra were found for mitochondria (blue), endoplasmic reticulum (green) and nucleoli (orange). The color-coded Raman image visualizes the location of these organelles in the cell.

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3D Raman imaging of cells

Combining Raman and fluorescence

In cell biology research, fluorescent labeling is a commonly used method to visualize specific molecules. Although Raman imaging provides a powerful alternative, both techniques can optionally be combined in WITec microscopes for those applications that require additional fluorescent markers. These pictures show the correlative Raman and fluorescence imaging of DAPI-stained eukaryotic cells. The fluorescence image visualizes the labeled cellular nuclei, while Raman imaging identified the endoplasmic reticulum (green) and nucleoli (orange).

Read more in our Application Note