Advanced label-free imaging links cell structure to how cells feel and respond to force
Official title: Advanced label-free microscopy to link cell structure to mechanobiology.
Funded at Texas Engineering Experiment Station · NIH-11428924 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A project to use a new, dye-free imaging method to connect how the cell’s skeleton looks with how it mechanically behaves, aiming to benefit people by improving our understanding of cell biology and disease.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Texas Engineering Experiment Station NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (College Station, United States) |
| Project start | July 15, 2026 |
| Project end | March 31, 2031 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $394,917 |
| NIH project number | 1R35GM165570-01 |
| Project ID | NIH-11428924 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Not specific to a patient population in this grant; the work is mechanobiology and imaging methodology that could later be applied to human cells.
✕Less likely to help
This grant does not enroll patients; it focuses on imaging methods that may be used in future disease-related studies.
What this research studies
This project will develop and test a label-free imaging technique to visualize the cell’s cytoskeleton in living cells without dyes. Using quantitative phase imaging and holotomography, researchers will map 3-D protein mass density and relate it to how cells respond to mechanical forces. The work seeks to connect structural features inside cells to their viscoelastic properties, which are important for normal function and disease progression. The ultimate goal is to provide noninvasive tools that could enable long-term study of cell mechanics without perturbing the cells. The findings could inform new therapeutic approaches by revealing how cell structure governs mechanical behavior.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this approach could lead to better understanding of disease-related cell mechanics and enable new, less invasive ways to study cells relevant to health and illness.
How similar studies have gone: Previous label-free imaging methods show promise in correlating structure with mechanics, but this approach aims for direct 3-D mapping of cytoskeletal organization with live, unlabeled cells.
Where this research is happening
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Texas Engineering Experiment Station
College Station, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Steelman, Zachary — Texas Engineering Experiment Station
- Study coordinator: Steelman, Zachary
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.