Sentinel lymph node imaging using quantum dots in mouse tumor models.
We demonstrate that quantum dots injected into two model tumors rapidly migrate to sentinel lymph nodes. PEG-coated quantum dots having terminal carboxyl, amino, or methoxyl groups all migrated from the tumor to surrounding lymph nodes similarly. Passage from the tumor through lymphatics to adjacent nodes could be visualized dynamically through the skin; at least two nodes could usually be defined. Imaging during necropsy confirmed confinement of the quantum dots to the lymphatic system and demonstrated easy tagging of sentinel lymph nodes for pathology. Examination of the sentinel nodes identified by quantum dot localization showed that at least some contained metastatic tumor foci.
Ballou
Byron
B
Molecular Biosensor and Imaging Center, Department of Biological Sciences, and Department of Chemistry, Carnegie Mellon University, 4400 Fifth Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, USA. bbal@andrew.cmu.edu
Ernst
Lauren A
LA
Andreko
Susan
S
Harper
Theresa
T
Fitzpatrick
James A J
JA
Waggoner
Alan S
AS
Bruchez
Marcel P
MP
D000818:Animals; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D006801:Humans; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008546:Melanoma, Experimental / Q000473:pathology*; D051379:Mice; D008819:Mice, Nude; D045663:Quantum Dots; D021701:Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology; D018243:Teratocarcinoma / Q000473:pathology*; D013736:Testicular Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured