Visualization of erythrocyte stasis in the living human eye in health and disease

Joanne Li; Dongyi Wang; Jessica Pottenburgh; Andrew J. Bower; Samuel Asanad; Eric W. Lai; Caroline Simon; Lily Im; Laryssa A. Huryn; Yang Tao; Johnny Tam; Osamah J. Saeedi

iScience (Jan 2023)

Visualization of erythrocyte stasis in the living human eye in health and disease

Joanne Li,
Dongyi Wang,
Jessica Pottenburgh,
Andrew J. Bower,
Samuel Asanad,
Eric W. Lai,
Caroline Simon,
Lily Im,
Laryssa A. Huryn,
Yang Tao,
Johnny Tam,
Osamah J. Saeedi

Affiliations

Joanne Li: National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
Dongyi Wang: Bioimaging and Machine Vision Laboratory, Fischell Department of Bioengineering, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
Jessica Pottenburgh: Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
Andrew J. Bower: National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
Samuel Asanad: Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
Eric W. Lai: University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
Caroline Simon: University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
Lily Im: Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
Laryssa A. Huryn: National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
Yang Tao: Bioimaging and Machine Vision Laboratory, Fischell Department of Bioengineering, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
Johnny Tam: National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
Osamah J. Saeedi: Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; Corresponding author

Journal volume & issue: Vol. 26, no. 1
p. 105755

Abstract

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Summary: Blood cells trapped in stasis have been reported within the microcirculation, but their relevance to health and disease has not been established. In this study, we introduce an in vivo imaging approach that reveals the presence of a previously-unknown pool of erythrocytes in stasis, located within capillary segments of the CNS, and present in 100% of subjects imaged. These results provide a key insight that blood cells pause as they travel through the choroidal microvasculature, a vascular structure that boasts the highest blood flow of any tissue in the body. Demonstration of clinical utility using deep learning reveals that erythrocyte stasis is altered in glaucoma, indicating the possibility of more widespread changes in choroidal microvascular than previously realized. The ability to monitor the choroidal microvasculature at the single cell level may lead to novel strategies for tracking microvascular health in glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration, and other neurodegenerative diseases.

Published in iScience

ISSN: 2589-0042 (Online)
Publisher: Elsevier
Country of publisher: United States
LCC subjects: Science
Website: http://www.cell.com/iscience/home

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