title: Enhancing in vivo tumor boundary delineation with structured illumination fluorescence molecular imaging and spatial gradient mapping.
abstract: Fluorescence imaging, in combination with tumor-avid near-infrared (NIR) fluorescent molecular probes, provides high specificity and sensitivity for cancer detection in preclinical animal models, and more recently, assistance during oncologic surgery. However, conventional camera-based fluorescence imaging techniques are heavily surface-weighted such that surface reflection from skin or other nontumor tissue and nonspecific fluorescence signals dominate, obscuring true cancer-specific signals and blurring tumor boundaries. To address this challenge, we applied structured illumination fluorescence molecular imaging (SIFMI) in live animals for automated subtraction of nonspecific surface signals to better delineate accumulation of an NIR fluorescent probe targeting α4β1 integrin in mice bearing subcutaneous plasma cell xenografts. SIFMI demonstrated a fivefold improvement in tumor-to-background contrast when compared with other full-field fluorescence imaging methods and required significantly reduced scanning time compared with diffuse optical spectroscopy imaging. Furthermore, the spatial gradient mapping enhanced highlighting of tumor boundaries. Through the relatively simple hardware and software modifications described, SIFMI can be integrated with clinical fluorescence imaging systems, enhancing intraoperative tumor boundary delineation from the uninvolved tissue.
authors: Washington University School of Medicine, Department of Radiology, 4515 McKinley Avenue, St. Louis, Missouri 63110, United States.
authors: Jessica
authors: J
authors: Sun
authors: Washington University School of Medicine, Department of Radiology, 4515 McKinley Avenue, St. Louis, Missouri 63110, United StatesbWashington University School of Medicine, Department of Biomedical Engineering, 4515 McKinley Avenue, St. Louis, Missouri 63110, United States.
authors: Jessica P
authors: JP
authors: Miller
authors: Washington University School of Medicine, Department of Radiology, 4515 McKinley Avenue, St. Louis, Missouri 63110, United StatesbWashington University School of Medicine, Department of Biomedical Engineering, 4515 McKinley Avenue, St. Louis, Missouri 63110, United States.
authors: Deep
authors: D
authors: Hathi
authors: Washington University School of Medicine, Department of Radiology, 4515 McKinley Avenue, St. Louis, Missouri 63110, United States.
authors: Haiying
authors: H
authors: Zhou
authors: Washington University School of Medicine, Department of Radiology, 4515 McKinley Avenue, St. Louis, Missouri 63110, United StatesbWashington University School of Medicine, Department of Biomedical Engineering, 4515 McKinley Avenue, St. Louis, Missouri 63110, United StatescWashington University School of Medicine, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, 4515 McKinley Avenue, St. Louis, Missouri 63110, United States.
authors: Samuel
authors: S
authors: Achilefu
authors: Washington University School of Medicine, Department of Radiology, 4515 McKinley Avenue, St. Louis, Missouri 63110, United States.
authors: Monica
authors: M
authors: Shokeen
authors: Washington University School of Medicine, Department of Radiology, 4515 McKinley Avenue, St. Louis, Missouri 63110, United States.
authors: Walter J
authors: WJ
authors: Akers
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D057054:Molecular Imaging; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D061848:Optical Imaging
chemical_list: D005456:Fluorescent Dyes