Motion blur microscopy: in vitro imaging of cell adhesion dynamics in whole blood flow

Abstract Imaging and characterizing the dynamics of cellular adhesion in blood samples is of fundamental importance in understanding biological function. In vitro microscopy methods are widely used for this task but typically require diluting the blood with a buffer to allow for transmission of light. However, whole blood provides crucial signaling cues that influence adhesion dynamics, which means that conventional approaches lack the full physiological complexity of living microvasculature. We can reliably image cell interactions in microfluidic channels during whole blood flow by motion blur microscopy (MBM) in vitro and automate image analysis using machine learning. MBM provides a low cost, easy to implement alternative to intravital microscopy, for rapid data generation where understanding cell interactions, adhesion, and motility is crucial. MBM is generalizable to studies of various diseases, including cancer, blood disorders, thrombosis, inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, as well as providing rich datasets for theoretical modeling of adhesion dynamics.