title: Born normalization for fluorescence optical projection tomography for whole heart imaging.
abstract: Optical projection tomography is a three-dimensional imaging technique that has been recently introduced as an imaging tool primarily in developmental biology and gene expression studies. The technique renders biological sample optically transparent by first dehydrating them and then placing in a mixture of benzyl alcohol and benzyl benzoate in a 2:1 ratio (BABB or Murray s Clear solution). The technique renders biological samples optically transparent by first dehydrating them in graded ethanol solutions then placing them in a mixture of benzyl alcohol and benzyl benzoate in a 2:1 ratio (BABB or Murray s Clear solution) to clear. After the clearing process the scattering contribution in the sample can be greatly reduced and made almost negligible while the absorption contribution cannot be eliminated completely. When trying to reconstruct the fluorescence distribution within the sample under investigation, this contribution affects the reconstructions and leads, inevitably, to image artifacts and quantification errors.. While absorption could be reduced further with a permanence of weeks or months in the clearing media, this will lead to progressive loss of fluorescence and to an unrealistically long sample processing time. This is true when reconstructing both exogenous contrast agents (molecular contrast agents) as well as endogenous contrast (e.g. reconstructions of genetically expressed fluorescent proteins).
authors: Center for Systems Biology, Harvard Medical School, USA. cvinegoni@mgh.harvard.edu
authors: Claudio
authors: C
authors: Vinegoni
authors: Daniel
authors: D
authors: Razansky
authors: Jose-Luiz
authors: JL
authors: Figueiredo
authors: Lyuba
authors: L
authors: Fexon
authors: Misha
authors: M
authors: Pivovarov
authors: Matthias
authors: M
authors: Nahrendorf
authors: Vasilis
authors: V
authors: Ntziachristos
authors: Ralph
authors: R
authors: Weissleder
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001565:Benzoates / Q000737:chemistry; D019905:Benzyl Alcohol / Q000737:chemistry; D003287:Contrast Media / Q000737:chemistry; D006321:Heart / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional / Q000379:methods; D051379:Mice; D041622:Tomography, Optical / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D001565:Benzoates; D003287:Contrast Media; D019905:Benzyl Alcohol; C006723:benzyl benzoate