Dan L Pham, Amani A Gillette, Jeremiah Riendeau, Kasia Wiech, Emmanuel Contreras Guzman, Rupsa Datta, Melissa C Skala
SIGNIFICANCE: Advancements in label-free microscopy could provide real-time, non-invasive imaging with unique sources of contrast and automated standardized analysis to characterize heterogeneous and dynamic biological processes. These tools would overcome challenges with widely used methods that are destructive (e.g., histology, flow cytometry) or lack cellular resolution (e.g., plate-based assays, whole animal bioluminescence imaging). AIM: This perspective aims to (1) justify the need for label-free microscopy to track heterogeneous cellular functions over time and space within unperturbed systems and (2) recommend improvements regarding instrumentation, image analysis, and image interpretation to address these needs...
December 2025: Journal of Biomedical Optics