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Precision assessment of label-free psoriasis biomarkers with ultra-broadband optoacoustic mesoscopy

Nature Biomedical Engineering volume 1, Article number: 0068 (2017) Cite this article

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Abstract

Imaging plays a critical role in the diagnosis and assessment of dermatological conditions. However, optical or optoacoustic microscopy techniques are limited to visualizing superficial skin features owing to strong photon scattering, whereas ultrasound methods, which can probe deeper-seated tissue, lack the contrast to image pathophysiological mechanisms in detail. Here, we demonstrate that raster-scan optoacoustic mesoscopy (RSOM) implemented in ultra-broadband (10–180 MHz) detection mode bridges the depth capabilities of ultrasound and the resolution range and high contrast of optical methods in clinical dermatology. Using tomographic reconstruction and frequency equalization to represent low and high spatial-frequency components, we visualize skin morphology and vascular patterns in the dermis and sub-dermis of psoriasis patients, enabling quantification of inflammation and other biomarkers of psoriasis without the need for contrast agents. Implemented in a handheld device, we showcase how label-free biomarkers detected by RSOM correlate with clinical score. The method can also be extended to assess a larger spectrum of dermatological conditions.

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Figure 1: Skin imaging with the portable UB-RSOM system, using colour coding of frequency bands.
Figure 2: UB-RSOM of healthy skin versus adjacent psoriatic skin and validation by histology.
Figure 3: Clinical relevance of UB-RSOM measurements.

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Acknowledgements

We acknowledge funding from European Grant INNODERM (687866) Horizon 2020 and Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, Germany (Leibniz Prize 2013; NT 3/10-1).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Technische Universität München and Institute for Biological and Medical Imaging, Helmholtz Zentrum München, IngolstädterLandstrasse 1, Neuherberg, D85764, Germany

    Juan Aguirre, Mathias Schwarz, Murad Omar, Andreas Buehler & Vasilis Ntziachristos

  2. Department of Dermatology and Allergy, Technical University of Munich, 80802, Munich, Germany

    Natalie Garzorz & Kilian Eyerich

  3. Center for Allergy and Environment (ZAUM), Technical University of Munich and Helmholtz Center Munich, 80802, Munich, Germany

    Natalie Garzorz & Kilian Eyerich

Authors
  1. Juan Aguirre
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  2. Mathias Schwarz
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  3. Natalie Garzorz
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  4. Murad Omar
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  5. Andreas Buehler
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  6. Kilian Eyerich
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  7. Vasilis Ntziachristos
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Contributions

J.A. designed and developed the imaging system, designed and performed the experiments, processed the data, provided conceptual input and wrote the paper. M.S. developed the imaging system, performed the experiments, processed the data. N.G. provided conceptual input and performed the histology experiments. M.O. developed the imaging system and performed the characterization experiments. A.B. provided conceptual input. K.E. provided conceptual input and designed the experiments. V.N. provided conceptual input, designed the experiments, supervised and led the research, and wrote the paper. J.A., M.S., M.O., A.B. and V.N. revised the text after the referees’ comments.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Vasilis Ntziachristos.

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Competing interests

V.N. is a shareholder in iThera-Medical GmbH, Munich, Germany.

Supplementary information

Supplementary Information

Supplementary notes and figures. (PDF 1061 kb)

Supplementary Video 1

Three-dimensional skin visualization of healthy skin by ultra-broadband raster scan optoacoustic mesoscopy. (AVI 2196 kb)

Supplementary Video 2

Three-dimensional skin visualization of psoriatic skin by ultra-broadband raster scan optoacoustic mesoscopy. (AVI 3417 kb)

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Aguirre, J., Schwarz, M., Garzorz, N. et al. Precision assessment of label-free psoriasis biomarkers with ultra-broadband optoacoustic mesoscopy. Nat Biomed Eng 1, 0068 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41551-017-0068

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