Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42430486›Full record

ArticleScience advances2026

Submicromolar imaging of intrinsic chromophores by two-photon photothermal microscopy captures mitochondrial response to chemotherapy.

Nathaniel Hai, Chinmayee Vallabh Prabhu Dessai, Dingcheng Sun, Jianpeng Ao, Pin-Tian Lyu, Yifan Zhu, Ji-Xin Cheng

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Science advances, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Nathaniel HaiDepartment of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-6213-4926
Chinmayee Vallabh Prabhu DessaiPhotonics Center, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-9568-7770
Dingcheng SunPhotonics Center, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA.
Jianpeng AoDepartment of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-9625-4245
Pin-Tian LyuDepartment of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA.
Yifan ZhuDepartment of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-4421-1486
Ji-Xin ChengDepartment of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-5607-6683

Funding

Vibrational Spectroscopic Imaging to Unveil Hidden Signatures in Living SystemsR35GM136223 · NIGMS · BOSTON UNIVERSITY (CHARLES RIVER CAMPUS) · PI CHENG, JI-XIN · 2020 to 2025
$5.7M
NIGMS NIH HHS R35 GM136223
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Intracellular chromophores {e.g., NADH [reduced form of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (oxidized form)] and FAD (flavin adenine dinucleotide)} play a central role in regulation of cellular metabolism. Although autofluorescence has been extensively used for label-free mapping of chromophores inside a cell, its sensitivity and molecular specificity are constrained by the low quantum yield and the fluorescence spectral overlap. Here, we address these challenges by using a photothermal approach to measure the optical absorption of chromophores rather than its autofluorescence. Our two-photon photothermal (2PPT) microscope exploits localized thermal transients generated through two-photon absorption, enabling detection of chromophore-specific signatures beyond the reach of autofluorescence. We demonstrate submicromolar limits of detection for the metabolic coenzymes NADH and FAD of 0.87 and 0.99 μM, respectively. Such high sensitivity enables differentiating the influence of mitochondrial shapes on metabolism. 2PPT can identify the biomolecular source of contrast from cellular mitochondria in a label-free manner on the basis of spectroscopy. 2PPT microscopy is used to study metabolic alterations of mitochondria in cancer under chemotherapy at the single-organelle level.

Indexed as

Antineoplastic AgentsMicroscopyMicroscopy, Fluorescence, MultiphotonMitochondriaFlavin-Adenine DinucleotideHumansNADPhotonsAntineoplastic AgentsFlavin-Adenine DinucleotideNAD

Identifiers

PMID42430486
PMCPMC13353361

What OpenQuestion holds

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.