Letter abstract
Nature Photonics 1, 526 - 530 (2007)
Published online: 19 August 2007 | doi:10.1038/nphoton.2007.146
Subject Categories: Imaging and sensing | Biophotonics
All-optical anatomical co-registration for molecular imaging of small animals using dynamic contrast
Elizabeth M. C. Hillman1 & Anna Moore2
Abstract
Optical molecular imaging in small animals harnesses the power of highly specific and biocompatible contrast agents for drug development and disease research1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. However, the widespread adoption of in vivo optical imaging has been inhibited by its inability to clearly resolve and identify targeted internal organs. Optical tomography8, 9, 10, 11 and combined X-ray and micro-computed tomography (micro-CT)12 approaches developed to address this problem are generally expensive, complex or incapable of true anatomical co-registration. Here, we present a remarkably simple all-optical method that can generate co-registered anatomical maps of a mouse's internal organs, while also acquiring in vivo molecular imaging data. The technique uses a time series of images acquired after injection of an inert dye. Differences in the dye's in vivo biodistribution dynamics allow precise delineation and identification of major organs. Such co-registered anatomical maps permit longitudinal organ identification irrespective of repositioning or weight gain, thereby promising greatly improved accuracy and versatility for studies of orthotopic disease, diagnostics and therapies.
- Laboratory for Functional Optical Imaging, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Columbia University, 1210 Amsterdam Avenue, New York, New York 10027, USA
- Molecular Imaging Laboratory, MGH/MIT/HMS Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Building 149, 13th Street, Charlestown, Massachusetts 02129, USA
Correspondence to: Elizabeth M. C. Hillman1 e-mail: eh2245@columbia.edu
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