Vibrational Profiling of Brain Tumors and Cells.

Author: Nelson SL1, Proctor DT2, Ghasemloonia A2, Lama S2, Zareinia K2, Ahn Y3, Al-Saiedy MR1, Green FH4, Amrein MW1, Sutherland GR2
Affiliation:
1Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy, University of Calgary, 3280 Hospital Dr. NW, Calgary, AB, T2N 4Z6, Canada.
2Project neuroArm, Department of Clinical Neuroscience and the Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, 3280 Hospital Dr. NW, Calgary, AB, T2N 4Z6, Canada.
3Department of Pediatrics, Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, T2N 4N1, Canada.
4Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Calgary, 3280 Hospital Dr. NW, Calgary, AB, T2N 4Z6, Canada.
Conference/Journal: Theranostics.
Date published: 2017 Jun 22
Other: Volume ID: 7 , Issue ID: 9 , Pages: 2417-2430 , Special Notes: doi: 10.7150/thno.19172. eCollection 2017. , Word Count: 151


This study reports vibration profiles of neuronal cells and tissues as well as brain tumor and neocortical specimens. A contact-free method and analysis protocol was designed to convert an atomic force microscope into an ultra-sensitive microphone with capacity to record and listen to live biological samples. A frequency of 3.4 Hz was observed for both cultured rat hippocampal neurons and tissues and vibration could be modulated pharmacologically. Malignant astrocytoma tissue samples obtained from operating room, transported in artificial cerebrospinal fluid, and tested within an hour, vibrated with a much different frequency profile and amplitude, compared to meningioma or lateral temporal cortex providing a quantifiable measurement to accurately distinguish the three tissues in real-time. Vibration signals were converted to audible sound waves by frequency modulation, thus demonstrating, acoustic patterns unique to meningioma, malignant astrocytoma and neocortex.

KEYWORDS: Atomic Force Microscope; brain tumor; metabolism; nanomotion detector.; tumor margin; vibration

PMID: 28744324 PMCID: PMC5525746 DOI: 10.7150/thno.19172

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