High frequency label-free photoacoustic microscopy of single cells

Photoacoustic measurements of melanoma cells and red blood cells (RBCs) using ultra-high frequency (UHF) wide-bandwidth transducers are reported. In this detection system, the resolution typically depends on the parameters of the receiving transducer, and not the focus of the laser. A single melanoma cell was imaged with 200, 375 and 1200 MHz transducers. As the frequency increased, the resolution increased, resulting in greater detail observed. A single RBC was imaged at 1200 MHz, showing the contours of the cell. While lateral and axial resolutions approaching 1 μm are possible with this microscope, the key advantage is the ability to perform a wide-bandwidth quantitative signal analysis of the photoacoustic signals. The power spectrum of the signals measured from RBCs showed distinct spectral minima around 800 and 1500 MHz which are directly related to the RBC geometry. This study reports on the high-resolution imaging capabilities and quantitative analyses using UHF photoacoustic microscopy.