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RAP opportunity at National Institute of Standards and Technology     NIST

Advanced Imaging Tools to Measure Dynamics of Pluripotency and Differentiation

Location

Material Measurement Laboratory, Biosystems and Biomaterials Division

opportunity location
50.64.41.B8384 Gaithersburg, MD

NIST only participates in the February and August reviews.

Advisers

name email phone
Anthony J. Asmar anthony.asmar@nist.gov 301.975.5512
John Timothy Elliott jelliott@nist.gov 301.975.8551
Alexander W Peterson alexander.peterson@nist.gov 301.975.5665
Anne L. Plant anne.plant@nist.gov 301.975.3124

Description

Induced pluripotent stem cell technologies are powerful new tools for biomedical research and have the potential to revolutionize medicine. The mechanisms by which cells transition from pluripotent to differentiated states is incompletely understood, and correlating measurable parameters to identify efficient culture conditions and release criteria for safe and effective therapies is imperfect. One challenge is the natural biological variability in cell responses across a population. In order to provide better biomarkers  of pluripotency and differentiation, data describing the changes in gene expression at the single cell level are needed. In this project, quantitative live cell imaging and image analysis will be used to follow gene expression dynamics, and other phenotypic characteristics, in single cells. Imaging modes that employ fluorescence, transmitted light, quantitative phase, and/or surface plasmon resonance microscopy may be used to acquire different kinds of images on large numbers of iPS cells in culture; machine learning algorithms and other image analysis strategies may be used to extract and test image features as predictors of cell state. Quantitiation of the extent, probability, and dynamics of changes in phenotypic markers over the population will add confidence in the interpretation of biomarkers of pluripotency and differentiation.

References

Bhadriraju K, Halter M, Amelot J, Bajcsy P, Chalfoun J, Vandecreme A, Mallon BS, Park KY, Sista S, Elliott JT, Plant AL. (2016). Large-scale time-lapse microscopy of Oct4 expression in human embryonic stem cell colonies. Stem Cell Research (17): 122-129

Peterson, Alexander, Michael Halter, Anne Plant, and John Elliott (2016). Surface plasmon resonance microscopy: achieving a quantitative optical response. Review of Scientific Instruments, 87:9 DOI: 10.1063/1.4962034

Asmar A, Benson Z, Chalfoun J, Peskin A, Halter M, Plant A. (2024). High-volume, label-free imaging for quantifying single-cell dynamics in induced pluripotent stem cell coloniesPLoS ONE 19(2): e0298446. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0298446

key words
Bioengineering; Quantitative imaging; Stem cell; Pluripotency; Differentiation; Live cell microscopy; Image analysis; Biological noise; Machine learning;

Eligibility

Citizenship:  Open to U.S. citizens
Level:  Open to Postdoctoral applicants

Stipend

Base Stipend Travel Allotment Supplementation
$82,764.00 $3,000.00
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