Brillouin Light Scattering Microspectroscopy for Biological and Biomedical Research

Brillouin Light Scattering Spectroscopy (BLSS) uses visible or infrared light to probe the mechanics and structure of a material through scattering from thermally induced acoustic modes. It gives access to the viscoelasticity in a non-destructive contactless way, and when coupled to confocal microscopy, is particularly well suited for biomedical applications. Though an established technique in condensed matter physics, recently BLSS has seen promising applications in the life sciences. This can largely be attributed to advances in spectrometer design which has allowed for measurements to be performed under near physiological conditions and with acquisition times conducive to studying sensitive and dynamic samples. I will give an overview of the status of BLSS as applied to studying systems of biological and biomedical interest, focusing by way of example on studies performed in our lab to illustrate its potential and some of the associated challenges. I will also talk about the interpretation of the derived parameters in regards to biomechanics/structural properties on a sub-cellular, cellular and tissue level and their relation to disease, underlying genetics and biochemistry.