title: Charge-coupled-device based scanner for tomography of fluorescent near-infrared probes in turbid media.
abstract: We present a novel tomographer for three-dimensional reconstructions of fluorochromes in diffuse media. Photon detection is based on charge-coupled device technology that allows the implementation of a large parallel array of detection channels with high sensitivity. Using this instrument we studied the response and detection limits of near-infrared fluorochromes in diffuse media as a function of light intensity and for a wide range of biologically relevant concentrations. We further examined the resolution of the scanner and the reconstruction linearity achieved. We demonstrate that the instrument attains better than 3 mm resolution, is linear within more than two orders of magnitude of fluorochrome concentration, and can detect fluorescent objects at femto-mole quantities in small animal-like geometries. These measurements delineate detection and reconstruction characteristics associated with imaging of novel classes of fluorescent probes developed for in vivo molecular and functional probing of tissues.
authors.affiliation: Center for Molecular Imaging Research, Massachusetts General Hospital & Harvard Medical School, Charlestown 02129, USA. vasilis@helix.mgh.harvard.edu
authors.forename: Vasilis
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Ntziachristos
authors.forename: Ralph
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Weissleder
mesh_terms: D055592:Biophysical Phenomena; D001703:Biophysics; D004867:Equipment Design; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D009391:Nephelometry and Turbidimetry; D055095:Optics and Photonics / Q000295:instrumentation; D017785:Photons; D019265:Spectroscopy, Near-Infrared / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014054:Tomography / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data
chemical_list: D005456:Fluorescent Dyes