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Abstract #1390

Estimation of Cell Size Using the Composite Hindered and Restricted Model of Diffusion

Yaniv Sagi1, Peter J. Basser2, Yaniv Assaf1

1Department of Neurobiology, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel; 2Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, The National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA


In this work we used diffusion imaging to estimate the average size of cells in a culture. Two cell cultures differing in cell size were scanned. The signal decay appears to be multi-exponential, indicating multi-compartmetation or restricted diffusion. The signal was fitted to a model of diffusion in two compartments: a hindered, extra-cellular compartment and a restricted, intra-cellular compartment. This enabled us to estimate the mean size of cells in each culture and the volume fractions of intra- vs. extra-cellular matrices. The results are in agreement with known sizes of these types of cells.