EPJ TI Review - Applications of Raman micro-spectroscopy to stem cell technology

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Published on 14 April 2015

This short review, part of the Thematic Series on Raman Spectroscopies, describes the application of Raman micro-spectroscopy to measure the molecular properties of stem cells during differentiation in-vitro. The paper focuses on time- and spatially-resolved Raman spectral measurements that allow repeated investigation of live stem cells in-vitro.

Stem cell therapy is widely acknowledged as a key medical technology of the 21st century which may provide treatments for many currently incurable diseases. These cells have an enormous potential for cell replacement therapies for curing diseases such as Parkinson’s disease, diabetes and cardiovascular disorders, as well as in tissue engineering as a reliable cell source for providing grafts to replace and repair diseased tissues. Nevertheless, the progress in this field has been difficult in part because of lack of techniques that can measure non-invasively the molecular properties of cells. Raman spectroscopy is an optical technique based on inelastic scattering of laser photons by molecular vibrations of cellular molecules and can be used to provide chemical fingerprints of cells or organelles without fixation, lysis or use of labels and other contrast enhancing chemicals. Because differentiated cells are specialized to perform specific functions, these cells produce specific biochemicals that can be detected by Raman micro-spectroscopy.