title: Non-invasive fluorescence imaging under ambient light conditions using a modulated ICCD and laser diode.
abstract: One limitation of fluorescence molecular imaging that can limit clinical implementation and hamper small animal imaging is the inability to eliminate ambient light. Herein, we demonstrate the ability to conduct rapid non-invasive, far-red and near-infrared fluorescence imaging in living animals and a phantom under ambient light conditions using a modulated image intensified CCD (ICCD) and a laser diode operated in homodyne detection. By mapping AC amplitude from three planar images at varying phase delays, we show improvement in target-to-background ratios (TBR) and reasonable signal-to-noise ratios (SNR) over continuous wave measurements. The rapid approach can be used to accurately collect fluorescence in situations where ambient light cannot be spectrally conditioned or controlled, such as in the case of fluorescent molecular image-guided surgery.
authors.affiliation: Center for Molecular Imaging, The Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine, The University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston, Texas, 77030 USA.
authors.forename: Banghe
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: Center for Molecular Imaging, The Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine, The University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston, Texas, 77030 USA.
authors.forename: John C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Rasmussen
authors.affiliation: Center for Molecular Imaging, The Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine, The University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston, Texas, 77030 USA.
authors.forename: Eva M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Sevick-Muraca
keywords: (040.1520) CCD, charge-coupled device; (060.2630) Frequency modulation; (260.2510) Fluorescence