Pilhan Kim

The ability to conduct high-resolution fluorescence imaging in internal organs of small animal models in situ and over time can make a significant impact in biomedical research. Toward this goal, we developed a real-time confocal and multiphoton endoscopic imaging system. Using 1-mm-diameter endoscopes based on gradient index lenses, we demonstrate video-rate multicolor multimodal imaging with cellular resolution in live mice.

Lacteals are lymphatic vessels located at the center of each intestinal villus and provide essential transport routes for lipids and other lipophilic molecules. However, it is unclear how absorbed molecules are transported through the lacteal. Here, we used reporter mice that express GFP under the control of the lymphatic-specific promoter Prox1 and a custom-built confocal microscope and performed intravital real-time visualization of the absorption and transport dynamics of fluorescence-tagged

The number of circulating tumor cell (CTC) in the peripheral blood of cancer patients can be a valuable biomarker for cancer diagnosis and treatment monitoring. In this study, we implemented a custom-design video-rate confocal microscopy system in capable of direct visualization of fast flowing CTC at great saphenous vein (GSV) of a live animal model in vivo. Continuous acquisition of video-rate images at GSV revealed the highly dynamic time-dependent changes in the number of intravenously injec

Direct intravital imaging of an endothelial surface layer (ESL) in pulmonary microcirculation could be a valuable approach to investigate the role of a vascular endothelial barrier in various pathological conditions. Despite its importance as a marker of endothelial cell damage and impairment of the vascular system, <i>in vivo</i> visualization of ESL has remained a challenging technical issue. In this work, we implemented a pulmonary microcirculation imaging system integrated to a custom-design

Cerebral microinfarct increases the risk of dementia. But how microscopic cerebrovascular disruption affects the brain tissue in cellular-level are mostly unknown. Herein, with a longitudinal intravital imaging, we serially visualized in vivo dynamic cellular-level changes in astrocyte, pericyte and neuron as well as microvascular integrity after the induction of cerebral microinfarction for 1 month in mice. At day 2-3, it revealed a localized edema with acute astrocyte loss, neuronal death, imp

Bone marrow is a vital tissue that produces the majority of erythrocytes, thrombocytes, and immune cells. Bone marrow transplantation (BMT) has been widely performed in patients with blood disorders and cancers. However, the cellular-level behaviors of the transplanted bone marrow cells over wide-areas of the host bone marrow after the BMT are not fully understood yet. In this work, we performed a longitudinal wide-area cellular-level observation of the calvarial bone marrow after the BMT in viv

We evaluated the effect of resveratrol (RSV) on graft survival after islet transplantation (ITx) in diabetic mice. Isolated islets from Balb/c mice (200 IEQ) were transplanted under the kidney capsule of diabetic Balb/c mice. Vehicle or RSV (200 mg/kg/day, orally) was given for 14 days after ITx. Two more control groups [STZ-treated (No-ITx-Control) and STZ+RSV-treated (No-ITx-RSV) mice without ITx] were added. Glucose tolerance tests (GTT) was performed at 14 days after ITx. In vitro, isolated

Infections caused by multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria pose an impending threat to humanity, as the evolution of MDR bacteria outpaces the development of effective antibiotics. In this work, we use indium phosphide (InP) quantum dots (QDs) to treat infections caused by MDR bacteria <i>via</i> photodynamic therapy (PDT), which shows superior bactericidal efficiency over common antibiotics. PDT in the presence of InP QDs results in high-efficiency bactericidal activity towards various bacterial s

We demonstrate a novel approach for the measurement of pump/signal waves interaction in the Raman amplifier (RA), with the use of multiwave optical time-domain reflectometry. With the application of obtained pump-evolution profiles to algorithms based on effective length recalibration, the multichannel Raman gain can easily be predicted with excellent accuracy for the undepleted, distributed RA. As a further extension of this algorithm, an in situ semi-analytic Raman-gain design method is also d

High endothelial venules (HEVs) effectively recruit circulating lymphocytes from the blood to lymph nodes. HEVs have endothelial cells (ECs) and perivascular sheaths consisting of fibroblastic reticular cells (FRCs). Yet, post-luminal lymphocyte migration steps are not well elucidated. Herein, we performed intravital imaging to investigate post-luminal T- and B-cell migration in popliteal lymph node, consisting of trans-EC migration, crawling in the perivascular channel (a narrow space between E

We propose and demonstrate a novel optical supervisory system for long-haul wavelength-division-muitiplexing (WDM) transmission link including cascaded erbium-doped fiber amplifiers (EDFAs). By employing a modified optical time domain reflectometry technique with a wavelength selective bidirectional EDFA, it was possible to monitor the status of the WDM transmission link and EDFA at in-service states with negligible power penalty. Proof of the concept with a 2.5 Gb/s/spl times/eight-channel WDM

Using improper wound care materials may cause impaired wound healing, which can involve scar formation and infection. Herein, we propose a facile method to fabricate a cell-alignment scaffold, which can effectively enhance cell growth and migration, leading to the reproduction of cellular arrangements and restoration of tissues. The principle is scratching a diamond lapping film that gives uniaxial nanotopography on substrates. Cells are seeded to follow the geometric cue via contact guidance, r

This technological method could be a valuable assessment tool to help the development of novel therapeutics for retinal diseases.