Multiphoton-excited phosphorescence lifetimes to measure tissue p02
Project Collaborators:
Bone healing fails if the space that must be filled by new bone is above a certain size. Our collaborator Dr. Xinping Zhang is interested in bridging that gap using electrospun fiber meshes to provide a scaffold for the cells that create new bone. The oxygenation profile in those meshes, and its effect on cell metabolism, plays an important role in establishment of new bone. We have implemented quantitative 3D measurement of bone absolute p02 using multiphoton excitable phosphorescent probes (provided by another collaborator) to explore that oxygenation profile, together with MPLSM microscopy of fluorescent bone cells. Our next step is to explore the development and differentiation of the novel vasculature that provides healing bone with requisite oxygen and nutrients.