University of California, San Francisco

Member of San Francisco’s Holographic Imaging Cytometry Center of Excellence

University of California San Francisco (UCSF), Gladstone Institutes and PHI jointly operate San Francisco’s Holographic Imaging Cytometry Center of Excellence. The Center’s activities focus on bringing the benefits of holographic cytometry and machine-learning to the San Francisco research community, by providing education and technical support.

San Francisco skyline

UCSF is part of the 10-campus University of California, the world’s premier public research university system, and the only of its campuses dedicated to graduate and professional education. UCSF comprises a collection of dedicated scientists, clinicians, students and staff who strive to make the world a better place.

Dr Huang’s research team at UCSF Cardiovascular Research Institute aim to decipher the natural regeneration processes and to stimulate de novo regenerative responses. They use heart cells (cardiomyocytes), as a model for regenerative growth. Zebra fish cardiomyocytes will regenerate the entire life of the fish, while mouse cardiomyocytes will regenerate in newborn mice but not in adult mice. If the differences can be mapped and understood, the results will contribute to the understanding and improvement of natural healing processes after e.g. a heart attack.

Guo Huang

With its non-invasive live-imaging capacities, the HoloMonitor M4 provides researchers a unique opportunity to monitor complex changes in cell biology over long durations with minimal impact on cell health. We are using this technology to characterize the behavior of primary cells over timescales of weeks, a feat difficult to accomplish using conventional imaging approaches. The HoloMonitor M4 is an affordably-priced innovation and we are excited to see what new biology we will discover with it.

Guo Huang, PhD

Principal Investigator and Assistant Professor, UCSF Department of Physiology