Multi-Channel Cellytics for Rapid and Cost-Effective Monitoring of Leukocyte Activation

Morphological changes in leukocytes are valuable markers for diseases and immune responses. In our earlier work, we presented Cellytics, a device that uses lens-free shadow imaging technology (LSIT) to monitor natural killer cell activity. Here, we present an improved Cellytics system that has been...

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Main Authors: Hojin Cheon, Samir Kumar, Inha Lee, Sanghoon Shin, Hyeji Jang, Young-Sun Lee, Myung-Hyun Nam, Hyun Sik Jun, Sungkyu Seo
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-02-01
Series:Biosensors
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2079-6374/15/3/143
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author Hojin Cheon
Samir Kumar
Inha Lee
Sanghoon Shin
Hyeji Jang
Young-Sun Lee
Myung-Hyun Nam
Hyun Sik Jun
Sungkyu Seo
author_facet Hojin Cheon
Samir Kumar
Inha Lee
Sanghoon Shin
Hyeji Jang
Young-Sun Lee
Myung-Hyun Nam
Hyun Sik Jun
Sungkyu Seo
author_sort Hojin Cheon
collection DOAJ
description Morphological changes in leukocytes are valuable markers for diseases and immune responses. In our earlier work, we presented Cellytics, a device that uses lens-free shadow imaging technology (LSIT) to monitor natural killer cell activity. Here, we present an improved Cellytics system that has been upgraded to a four-channel configuration to achieve higher throughput while maintaining robust reproducibility for rapid and cost-effective leukocyte analysis. The performance of this multi-channel Cellytics system was improved through refinements to the micro-pinhole chip. Etched pinholes provided better image resolution and clarity compared to drilled pinholes. To stimulate leukocytes, we used an activation stimulator cocktail (ASC) and quantified the resulting morphological changes using shadow-based metrics, including peak-to-peak distance (PPD) and maxima-to-minima standard deviation (MMD-SD). In addition, we developed a new leukocyte activation parameter (LAP) to specifically assess these activation-induced morphological changes. After ASC stimulation, leukocytes showed significantly increased PPD and LAP values and decreased MMD-SD compared to non-activated leukocytes. These results are consistent with the results of the flow cytometric analysis. These results emphasize the potential of Cellytics for the rapid and accurate assessment of leukocyte activation and provide a valuable tool for both clinical diagnostics and basic immunological research.
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spelling doaj-art-3fdca3280d6a430e921ac2e21c6893f72025-08-20T03:43:37ZengMDPI AGBiosensors2079-63742025-02-0115314310.3390/bios15030143Multi-Channel Cellytics for Rapid and Cost-Effective Monitoring of Leukocyte ActivationHojin Cheon0Samir Kumar1Inha Lee2Sanghoon Shin3Hyeji Jang4Young-Sun Lee5Myung-Hyun Nam6Hyun Sik Jun7Sungkyu Seo8Department of Electronics and Information Engineering, Korea University, Sejong 30019, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Electronics and Information Engineering, Korea University, Sejong 30019, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Korea University, Sejong 30019, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Electronics and Information Engineering, Korea University, Sejong 30019, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Electronics and Information Engineering, Korea University, Sejong 30019, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Guro Hospital, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul 08308, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Laboratory Medicine, Anam Hospital, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul 02841, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Korea University, Sejong 30019, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Electronics and Information Engineering, Korea University, Sejong 30019, Republic of KoreaMorphological changes in leukocytes are valuable markers for diseases and immune responses. In our earlier work, we presented Cellytics, a device that uses lens-free shadow imaging technology (LSIT) to monitor natural killer cell activity. Here, we present an improved Cellytics system that has been upgraded to a four-channel configuration to achieve higher throughput while maintaining robust reproducibility for rapid and cost-effective leukocyte analysis. The performance of this multi-channel Cellytics system was improved through refinements to the micro-pinhole chip. Etched pinholes provided better image resolution and clarity compared to drilled pinholes. To stimulate leukocytes, we used an activation stimulator cocktail (ASC) and quantified the resulting morphological changes using shadow-based metrics, including peak-to-peak distance (PPD) and maxima-to-minima standard deviation (MMD-SD). In addition, we developed a new leukocyte activation parameter (LAP) to specifically assess these activation-induced morphological changes. After ASC stimulation, leukocytes showed significantly increased PPD and LAP values and decreased MMD-SD compared to non-activated leukocytes. These results are consistent with the results of the flow cytometric analysis. These results emphasize the potential of Cellytics for the rapid and accurate assessment of leukocyte activation and provide a valuable tool for both clinical diagnostics and basic immunological research.https://www.mdpi.com/2079-6374/15/3/143lens-free shadow imaging technologyleukocyte activationmulti-channel Cellyticsshadow parameterscell morphology
spellingShingle Hojin Cheon
Samir Kumar
Inha Lee
Sanghoon Shin
Hyeji Jang
Young-Sun Lee
Myung-Hyun Nam
Hyun Sik Jun
Sungkyu Seo
Multi-Channel Cellytics for Rapid and Cost-Effective Monitoring of Leukocyte Activation
Biosensors
lens-free shadow imaging technology
leukocyte activation
multi-channel Cellytics
shadow parameters
cell morphology
title Multi-Channel Cellytics for Rapid and Cost-Effective Monitoring of Leukocyte Activation
title_full Multi-Channel Cellytics for Rapid and Cost-Effective Monitoring of Leukocyte Activation
title_fullStr Multi-Channel Cellytics for Rapid and Cost-Effective Monitoring of Leukocyte Activation
title_full_unstemmed Multi-Channel Cellytics for Rapid and Cost-Effective Monitoring of Leukocyte Activation
title_short Multi-Channel Cellytics for Rapid and Cost-Effective Monitoring of Leukocyte Activation
title_sort multi channel cellytics for rapid and cost effective monitoring of leukocyte activation
topic lens-free shadow imaging technology
leukocyte activation
multi-channel Cellytics
shadow parameters
cell morphology
url https://www.mdpi.com/2079-6374/15/3/143
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