One way to detect metabolic change in cells is through a method called laser-induced fluorescence spectroscopy which involves exciting the cellular sample using a laser and measuring the spectrum of its autofluorescence emission. In order to detect metabolic change, we monitor autofluorescence emission in real time, and through past studies we are able to quantify the metabolic effects of chemicals, including cyanide, on the cellular respiration of S. cerevisiae (yeast) cells. Our goal is to move towards metabolic sensing in tissue. Here we show that this is feasible by sensing metabolic response when significant background fluorescence exists in the signal. In this experiment, we use varying concentrations of collagen, a protein common in tissue, as the source for background signal. We show that we can still sense the metabolic response to cyanide in a sample containing collagen by demonstrating 3-state behavior in the observed autofluorescence spectrum. A 3-state response would mean the metabolic response is being sensed separately from the change in autofluorescence due to collagen. This research can be used in many biomedical applications as well as useful in furthering our own critical analysis and research-based skills.
Authors: Taylor Phillips and Thomas Finn
Faculty Advisor: Paul Urayama, Physics Department
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