CALIPERS: Cell cycle-aware live imaging for phenotyping experiments and regeneration studies
Summary
Cell-cycle progression is a major source of variability in live-cell phenotyping, yet imaging workflows still lack a general way to account for it alongside structural and functional readouts. Here we show CALIPERS (Cell-cycle-Aware Live-cell Imaging for Phenotyping Experiments and Regeneration Studies), an integrated framework that pairs a spectrally redesigned FUCCI reporter with continuous cell-cycle inference and flexible delivery strategies in human cells and stem-cell models. In epithelial cells, CALIPERS simultaneously images actin, tubulin, or calcium dynamics, phase-locks migration and proliferation, triggers mitosis-aware smart microscopy, and recovers fast calcium signals. In induced pluripotent stem-cell workflows, lentiviral and safe-harbor versions span pluripotent, lineage-restricted, and cardiac models. In cardiac organoids, CALIPERS tracks cell-cycle exit, tissue compaction, and calcium onset, and distinguishes productive proliferation from multinucleation and endoreplication. By making cell-cycle state an explicit, measurable variable, CALIPERS helps triage candidate regenerative interventions across diverse live-imaging assays. © 2026. The Author(s).
| Authors | Di Sante M, Pezzotti M, Zimmermann J, Enrico A, Deschamps J, Balmas E, Becca S, Torchia E, Ballio G, Solito S, Sarchi M, Reali A, Bertero A, Jug F, Pasqualini FS |
|---|---|
| Journal | Nature communications |
| Publication Date | 2026 Aug 1;17(1) |
| PubMed | 42669673 |
| PubMed Central | PMC13526800 |
| DOI | 10.1038/s41467-026-76144-9 |