title: Angular domain fluorescence imaging for small animal research.
abstract: We describe a novel macroscopic fluorescent imaging technique called angular domain fluorescence imaging (ADFI) applicable to the detection of fluorophores embedded in biological tissues. The method exploits the collimation detection capabilities of an angular filter array (AFA). The AFA uses the principle of acceptance angle filtration to extract minimally scattered photons emitted from fluorophores deep within tissue. Our goal was to develop an ADFI system for imaging near-infrared fluorescent markers for small animal imaging. According to the experimental results, the ADFI system offered higher resolution and contrast compared to a conventional lens and lens-pinhole fluorescent detection system. Furthermore, ADFI of a hairless mouse injected with a fluorescent bone marker revealed vertebral structural and morphometric data that correlated well with data derived from volumetric x-ray computed tomography images. The results suggested that ADFI is a useful technique for submillimeter mapping of the distribution of fluorescent biomarkers in small animals.
authors.affiliation: Simon Fraser University, The School of Engineering Science, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada.
authors.forename: Fartash
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Vasefi
authors.forename: Michelle
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Belton
authors.forename: Bozena
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Kaminska
authors.forename: Glenn H
authors.initials: GH
authors.lastname: Chapman
authors.forename: Jeffrey J L
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Carson
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003952:Diagnostic Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes / Q000737:chemistry; D051379:Mice; D008812:Mice, Hairless; D019047:Phantoms, Imaging; D013050:Spectrometry, Fluorescence / Q000379:methods*; D013131:Spine / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
chemical_list: D005456:Fluorescent Dyes