Naturally fluorescent molecules could help identify cancer

Ahmed Heikal, associate professor of bioengineering has identified a process by which he can determine a healthy cell from a cancerous cell by looking for the build up of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) in the cell. By looking at the level of NADH, a naturally fluorescing molecule, it provides a way to look at the integrity of a cell without injuring or destroying it with potentially toxic dyes.

Read the full article at Penn State Live.

(Top) Intracellular NADH concentration in living cells can be quantified using two-photon (2P) fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM) in a calibrated microscope. (Bottom) Time-resolved anisotropy measurements on intracellular NADH also provide a measure of the free and enzyme-bound cofactor at the single-cell level.