title: Bioluminescence imaging.
abstract: Bioluminescence refers to the process of visible light emission in living organisms. Bioluminescence imaging is a powerful methodology that has been developed over the last decade as a tool for molecular imaging of small laboratory animals, enabling the study of ongoing biological processes in vivo. This form of optical imaging is low cost and noninvasive and facilitates real-time analysis of disease processes at the molecular level in living organisms. In this article, we provide a brief introduction to bioluminescence imaging technology and discuss its applications in mouse models of lung inflammation/injury, bacterial pneumonia, and tumor growth and metastasis.
authors.affiliation: Division of Allergy, Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, T-1218 MCN, Nashville, TN 37232-2650, USA.
authors.forename: Ruxana T
authors.initials: RT
authors.lastname: Sadikot
authors.forename: Timothy S
authors.initials: TS
authors.lastname: Blackwell
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D008156:Luciferases; D049449:Luminescence; D049408:Luminescent Agents; D008171:Lung Diseases / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D051379:Mice; D016328:NF-kappa B / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D049408:Luminescent Agents; D016328:NF-kappa B; D008156:Luciferases