Label-free biochemical characterization of stem cells using vibrational spectroscopy

Raman and infrared (IR) spectroscopy are two complementary vibrational spectroscopic techniques that have experienced a tremendous growth in their use in biological and biomedical research. This is, in large part, due to their unique capability of providing label-free intrinsic chemical information of living biological samples at tissue, cellular, or sub-cellular resolutions. This article reviews recent developments in applying these techniques for the characterization of stem cells. A discussion of the potential for these methods to address some of the major challenges in stem cell research is presented, as well as the technological and scientific advancements that are needed to progress the knowledge in the field. [GRAPHICS] . Raman signatures of embryonic stem cells, their derived cardiomocytes and mature fetal cardiomyocytes possess unique spectral markers that enable their group discrimination when analyzed by PCA LDA. (C) 2009 by WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim