Longitudinal molecular imaging with single cell resolution of disseminated ovarian cancer in mice with a LED-based confocal microendoscope.
OBJECTIVE
We engineered a flexible fiber-optic microendoscope for longitudinal optical imaging studies in a mouse model of disseminated ovarian cancer.


METHODS
The microendoscope delivers 470 nm excitation light from a light-emitting diode through a fiber-optic bundle with outer diameter of 680 μm. Optics were optimized to maximize power and lateral resolution. We used this instrument to repetitively monitor intraperitoneal growth of HeyA8 ovarian cancer cells stably transduced with green fluorescent protein over 4 weeks.


RESULTS
The microendoscope achieves 0.7 mW power and lateral resolution of 4 μm. Initial in vivo imaging studies visualized single cells and small clusters of malignant cells with subsequent studies showing tumor masses and vasculature. We also resolved single cells within intraperitoneal tumor masses.


CONCLUSIONS
These studies establish microendoscope technology with single cell resolution for minimally-invasive, longitudinal imaging in living animals. This technology will advance future molecular imaging studies of ovarian cancer and other diseases.
Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA. sfelahi@umich.edu
Sakib F
SF
Elahi
Zhongyao
Z
Liu
Kathryn E
KE
Luker
Richard S
RS
Kwon
Gary D
GD
Luker
Thomas D
TD
Wang
D000818:Animals; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D019723:Endoscopes; D005260:Female; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins; D051379:Mice; D018613:Microscopy, Confocal / Q000295:instrumentation*; D008954:Models, Biological; D057054:Molecular Imaging / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods*; D055095:Optics and Photonics / Q000295:instrumentation*; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D023041:Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays
D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins