Utilization of photoacoustic spectral analysis for immune cell size characterization

Conventional methods for determining cell size primarily involve microscopic imaging and flow cytometry techniques. Recently, photoacoustic (PA) spectral analysis may offer an alternative way for cell size analysis. In this study, we developed a photoacoustic spectral analysis tool for the characterization of immune cell types based on their sizes. To this aim, we examined three different-sized immune cell lines: HMC3, EoL-1, and Jurkat. The correlation between the slope and bandwidth of the main lobe in the spectral components of the PA signal and cell sizes was examined in both simulation and experimental settings. Our results showed that the immune cells that increase in number in certain chronic diseases can be distinguished by their size using the PA spectral analysis approach. Results from this study suggested that the non-invasive nature of the photoacoustic imaging process, combined with its detailed analytical capabilities, make it a promising tool to discriminate different cell types depending on their sizes. Such studies hold great potential for the development of future diagnostic tools with respect to cell-type-specific diseases.