Subcellular-resolution molecular imaging within living tissue by fiber microendoscopy

Subcellular-resolution molecular imaging within living tissue by fiber microendoscopy

Citation

Muldoon, T. J., Pierce, M. C., Nida, D. L., Williams, M. D., Gillenwater, A., & Richards-Kortum, R. (2007). Subcellular-resolution molecular imaging within living tissue by fiber microendoscopy. Optics Express, 15(25), 16413–16423. https://doi.org/10.1364/oe.15.016413

Keywords

  • Fiber-optic microendoscopy
  • Molecular imaging
  • In vivo imaging
  • Confocal microscopy
  • Fiber bundle
  • Fluorescence imaging
  • Cancer detection
  • Sub-cellular resolution
  • Real-time imaging
  • Multiplexed imaging

Brief

This article describes a new fiber-optic microendoscopy system that can provide sub-cellular resolution images of molecularly labeled cells and tissues in situ.

Summary

This 2007 article in Optics Express, by Timothy J. Muldoon, Mark C. Pierce, Dawn L. Nida, Michelle D. Williams, Ann Gillenwater, and Rebecca Richards-Kortum, introduces a new fiber-optic microendoscopy system for high-resolution imaging of living tissue. The authors argue that this new system has the potential to complement conventional histopathology, which involves invasive procedures and only provides information at a single location and time.

Here's a summary of the key aspects of the article:

  • The system uses a flexible fiber-optic bundle with a diameter of 1 mm, enabling minimally invasive imaging of internal and subsurface tissues.
  • It utilizes wide-field LED illumination and a color CCD camera for image acquisition, making it simpler, more robust, and less expensive than confocal microscopy techniques.
  • The system can achieve sub-cellular resolution, successfully resolving lines 4.4 μm in width.
  • It can simultaneously visualize multiple fluorescent labels in real-time, which is useful for distinguishing between different cell types or detecting specific molecular activity.
  • The authors demonstrate the system's capabilities through experiments involving multiplexed cell culture imaging, in vivo murine tumor imaging, ex vivo human specimen imaging, and in vivo human tissue imaging.
  • The authors compare two CCD cameras – a scientific-grade cooled CCD and a standard analog CCD – and discuss the trade-offs between image quality and cost.
  • They conclude that this fiber-optic microendoscopy system offers a promising approach for real-time, high-resolution imaging of living tissues, with potential applications in clinical practice, particularly in conjunction with emerging molecular-targeted optical contrast agents.

Origin: https://opg.optica.org/oe/abstract.cfm?uri=OE-15-25-16413

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