POSTECH announced on the 6th that a research team at its Graduate School of Convergence Science and Technology has recently developed a new microscopy technology that can precisely analyze the health status of tissues such as the heart and tendons without cutting or staining them. This technology can numerically determine the alignment direction and density of protein fibers, and is expected to be applied in a wide range of areas, including quality inspection of artificial organs and disease diagnosis.

The research was conducted by Professor Kim Cheolhong and Professor Jang Jina of the POSTECH Graduate School of Convergence Science and Technology, PhD candidate Park Eunwoo of the Department of IT Convergence Engineering, and Dr. Hwang Dongkyu’s team at the Bio-Printing and Artificial Organ Application Technology Center. The research paper was published on the 4th in the optics journal Light: Science & Applications.

Tissues such as heart muscle and tendons function normally only when their protein fibers are aligned in a consistent direction. However, when diseases such as myocardial infarction, fibrosis, or cancer occur, this alignment becomes disrupted and the tissue loses its proper function. To identify such changes, it has so far been necessary to excise the tissue, stain it, and observe it under a microscope, which required considerable time and effort. To address this, the POSTECH research team developed a “mid-infrared dichroism-sensitive photoacoustic microscope.” When mid-infrared light is directed at tissue, proteins absorb the light and undergo slight expansion; by detecting the ultrasound generated in this process, the locations of the proteins can be identified. The team also applied a method of controlling polarization, the vibration direction of light. When protein fibers are aligned in a certain direction, they absorb more polarized light in that same direction, and analyzing this difference makes it possible to quantitatively measure the alignment state of the protein fibers.

Professor Kim stated, “This study will present a new method in the fields of regenerative medicine and pathological diagnosis.” Professor Jang said, “Because it can evaluate changes in various tissues including not only the heart but also tendons and the cornea, it will greatly contribute to artificial organ development and disease research.”

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