Bidirectional quantitative scattering microscopy

Abstract

Quantitative phase microscopy (QPM) and interferometric scattering (iSCAT) microscopy are powerful label-free imaging techniques and are widely used for biomedical applications. Each method, however, possesses distinct limitations: QPM, which measures forward scattering (FS), excels at imaging microscale structures but struggles with rapidly moving nanoscale objects, while iSCAT, based on backward scattering (BS), is highly sensitive to nanoscale dynamics but lacks the ability to image microscale structures comprehensively. Here, we introduce bidirectional quantitative scattering microscopy (BiQSM), an innovative approach that integrates FS and BS detection using off-axis digital holography with bidirectional illumination and spatial-frequency multiplexing. BiQSM achieves spatiotemporal consistency and a dynamic range 14 times wider than QPM, enabling simultaneous imaging of nanoscale and microscale cellular components. We demonstrate BiQSM's ability to reveal spatiotemporal behaviors of intracellular structures, with FS-BS correlation analysis providing insights into proteins, lipids, and membranes. Time-lapse imaging of dying cells further highlights BiQSM's potential as a label-free tool for monitoring cellular vital states through structural and motion-related changes. By bridging the strengths of QPM and iSCAT, BiQSM advances quantitative cellular imaging and opens new avenues for studying dynamic biological processes.