Intrinsic optical biomarkers associated with the invasive potential of tumor cells in engineered tissue models

This report assesses the ability of intrinsic two-photon excited fluorescence (TPEF) and second harmonic generation (SHG) imaging to characterize features associated with the motility and invasive potential of epithelial tumor cells engineered in tissues. Distinct patterns of organization are found both within the cells and the matrix that depend on the adhesive properties of the cells as well as factors attributed to adjacent fibroblasts. TPEF images are analyzed using automated algorithms that reveal unique features in subcellular organization and cell spacing that correlate with the invasive potential. We expect that such features have significant diagnostic potential for basic in vitro studies that aim to improve our understanding of cancer development or response to treatments, and, ultimately can be applied in prognostic evaluation.