State of the Art IR Cameras Track Embryonic Stem Cells:

Scientists all over the world are studying stem cells to determine what differentiates them from specialized cells. The need to identify stem cells while they develop specific cell characteristics is becoming increasingly urgent as technology makes their medical use more feasible.

Scientists at the University of Hartford have developed Wavelet Transform Signal Processing, a method which uses near infrared (NIR) technology to increase the accuracy of stem cell identification. This infrared technology makes it possible to seed a fully cultivated set of stem cells in the appropriate human organ to cure diseases like Parkinson’s, diabetes, cancer and heart disease. Inaccurate cell differentiation may cause tumors, so inaccuracy is not an option.

The NIR camera’s ability to track stem cells makes it a more accurate option than the current method of flouresence-activated cell sorting (FACS). Though NIR technology has only just been implemented, the possibilities revealed by professors at the University of Hartford may have long lasting implications.

Courtesy of Hemchandra M. Shertukde, Ph.D., P.E., Universtiy of Hartford, in Inframation Proceedings 2006.