Imaging of tumor necroses using full-frame optical coherence imaging

Holographic optical coherence imaging (OCI) has been used to acquire depth resolved images in tumor spheroids. OCI is a coherence-domain imaging technique that uses dynamic holography as the coherence gate. The technique is full-frame (en face) and background free, allowing real-time acquisition to a digital camera without motional reconstruction artifacts. We describe the method of operation of the holographic OCI on highly scattering specimens of tumor spheroids. Because of the sub-resolution structure in the sample, the holograms consist primarily of speckle fields. We present two kinds of volumetric data acquisition. One is uses fly-throughs with a stepping reference delay. Another is static holograms at a fixed reference delay with the coherence gate inside the tumor spheroids. At a fixed reference delay, the holograms consist of time-dependent speckle patterns. The method can be used to study cell motility inside tumor spheroids when metabolic or cross-linking poisons are delivered to the specimens.