Label-free mid-infrared dichroism-sensitive photoacoustic microscopy for histostructural analysis of engineered heart tissues

Eunwoo Park; Dong Gyu Hwang; Hwanyong Choi; Donggyu Kim; Joongho Ahn; Yong-Jae Lee; Tae Joong Eom; Jinah Jang; Chulhong Kim

doi:10.1038/s41377-025-02117-0

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Label-free mid-infrared dichroism-sensitive photoacoustic microscopy for histostructural analysis of engineered heart tissues

Original Articles

- Label-free mid-infrared dichroism-sensitive photoacoustic microscopy for histostructural analysis of engineered heart tissues
- Label-free mid-infrared dichroism-sensitive photoacoustic microscopy for histostructural analysis of engineered heart tissues
- Light: Science & Applications 2026年15卷第2期页码：600-610
- Affiliations：
  
  1.Department of Convergence IT Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), Pohang, Republic of Korea
  2.Medical Device Innovation Center, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), Pohang, Republic of Korea
  3.Center for 3D Organ Printing and Stem Cells, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), Pohang, Republic of Korea
  4.Department of Mechanical Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), Pohang, Republic of Korea
  5.Department of Electrical Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), Pohang, Republic of Korea
  6.Opticho Inc., Pohang, Republic of Korea
  7.Engineering Research Center for Color-modulated Extra-sensory Perception Technology, Pusan National University, Busan, Republic of Korea
  8.Department of Congo-Mechatronics Engineering & Optics and Mechatronics Engineering, Pusan National University, Busan, Republic of Korea
  9.Department of Medical Science and Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), Pohang, Republic of Korea
  10.Institute for Convergence Research and Education in Advanced Technology, Yonsei University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
  11.Graduate School of Artificial Intelligence, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), Pohang, Republic of Korea
- Author bio：
  
  Jinah Jang (jinahjang@postech.ac.kr)
  Chulhong Kim (chulhong@postech.edu)
- Funds：
- DOI：10.1038/s41377-025-02117-0
  中图分类号：
- 收稿：2025-06-17，
  
  修回：2025-10-13，
  
  录用：2025-11-02，
  
  网络首发：2026-01-04，
  
  纸质出版：2026-02-28
- Accepted：
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Eunwoo Park, Dong Gyu Hwang, Hwanyong Choi, 等. Label-free mid-infrared dichroism-sensitive photoacoustic microscopy for histostructural analysis of engineered heart tissues[J]. Light: Science & Applications, 2026,15(2):600-610.

Park, E. et al. Label-free mid-infrared dichroism-sensitive photoacoustic microscopy for histostructural analysis of engineered heart tissues. Light: Science & Applications, 15, 600-610 (2026).
Eunwoo Park, Dong Gyu Hwang, Hwanyong Choi, 等. Label-free mid-infrared dichroism-sensitive photoacoustic microscopy for histostructural analysis of engineered heart tissues[J]. Light: Science & Applications, 2026,15(2):600-610. DOI： 10.1038/s41377-025-02117-0.

Park, E. et al. Label-free mid-infrared dichroism-sensitive photoacoustic microscopy for histostructural analysis of engineered heart tissues. Light: Science & Applications, 15, 600-610 (2026). DOI： 10.1038/s41377-025-02117-0.

摘要

Abstract

Many biological tissues

such as cardiac muscle

tendons

and the cornea

exhibit highly organized microstructural alignment that is critical for mechanical and physiological functions. Disruptions in this structural organization are commonly associated with pathological conditions such as fibrosis

infarction

and cancer. However

conventional histological imaging techniques rely on immunofluorescence or histochemical staining

and they evaluate tissue alignment via non-physical 2D gradient-based calculation

which is labor-intensive

antibody-dependent

and prone to variability. Here

we demonstrate label-free mid-infrared dichroism-sensitive photoacoustic microscopy (MIR-DS-PAM)

an analytical imaging system for cardiac tissue assessments. By combining molecular specificity with polarization sensitivity

this method selectively visualizes protein-rich engineered heart tissue (EHT) and quantifies the extracellular matrix (ECM) alignment without any labeling. The extracted dichroism-sensitive parameters

such as the degree of dichroism and the orientation angle

enable histostructural evaluation of tissue integrity and reveal diagnostic cues in fibrotic EHT. This technique offers a label-free analytical tool for fibrosis research and tissue engineering applications.

关键词

Keywords

references

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