PEARL® IMAGER
Applications for the Pearl Imaging System
RECEPTOR TARGETING
Application Overview
Figure 1. IRDye 800CW EGF imaged 96 h post injection. Orange ovals pinpoint region of orthotopic implanted prostate tumor. Images were captured with the Pearl Imager with the pseudo-color representing the 800 nm channel.
Figure 2. Nude mouse bearing subcutaneous tumors, U87 (left hip) and A431(right hip), was imaged 24 hours post intravenous injection of IRDye 800CW RGD (1 nmole). Image was captured on the Pearl Imager; 800nm signal is presented in pseudo-color overlaid on a white light image of the mouse.
Cell surface receptors can be targeted for in vivo imaging by injection of agents that bind specifically to the receptor.
Tumor cells often over-express certain cell surface receptors (for example, EGFR or integrins).
Fluorescently-labeled molecules (such as ligands, antibodies, or drugs) that specifically bind these receptors can be used to visualize tumors inside the living animal.
Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), overexpressed on the cell surface of many cancer cells types1, can be targeted with a fluorescently labeled IRDye EGF agent for longitudinal studies of tumor progression2.
Tumors over-expressing integrin receptors can be targeted with IRDye® 800CW RGD Optical Probe3,4.
Near-infrared dyes, such as IRDye fluorophores, and carefully optimized hardware are critical for high-performance optical imaging.
Near-infrared fluorophores exploit the spectral region where light absorption and scatter properties of tissue are most advantageous5. This enhances penetration depth (access of excitation light to the fluorophore) and escape of emitted fluorescence from the animal to reach the detector.
Laser illumination delivers very intense excitation light of the correct wavelength, generating the brightest possible signal from the fluorescent agent.
Intrinsic autofluorescence from animal tissue can mask the signal from optical probes. In the NIR spectral region, autofluorescence is dramatically lowered6,7.
1 Hong, W. and A. Ullrich. Oncology Biotherapeutics. 1(1): 5 (2000)
2 Kovar, J et al. Am J Pathol. 169(4):1415-26 (2006)
3 Kovar, J et al. Poster presentation, AACR Annual Meeting (2009)
4 Chen, K et al. Mol Imaging. 8(2):65-73 (2009)
5 Hawrysz, DJ and Sevick-Muraca, EM. Neoplasia. 2(5):388–417 (2000)
6 Frangioni, JV. Curr Opin Chem Biol. 7(5):626-34 (2003)
7 Adams, KE, et al. J Biomed Opt. 12(2):024017 (2007)
- Why Image in the NIR?
“Advances in In Vivo Imaging: Near-Infrared Optical Imaging of Mice”
Jeff Harford, LI-COR“Instrumentation and Imaging Considerations”
Eva Sevick-Muraca, Baylor College of Medicine“In vivo imaging of prostate cancer using an IRDye 800CW EGF Optical Probe"
Melanie Simpson, University of Nebraska – Lincoln“Comparison of visible and near-infrared wavelength-excitable fluorescent dyes for molecular imaging of cancer”
Eva Sevick-Muraca and Shi Ke, Baylor College of Medicine
- Development of imaging agents
“Systematic Evaluation and Use of Targeted IRDye labeled Optical Contrast Agents”
Mike Olive, LI-COR“Systematic Evaluation of Targeted IRDye Labeled Optical Imaging Agents”
Joy Kovar, LI-CORs“Near Infrared Fluorescent Approaches to Cell-Based Assays and Small Animal Imaging”
Amy Geschwender, LI-COR
- Targeted Imaging
"Illuminating Prostate Cancer Progression"
Melanie Simpson, University of Nebraska - Eppley Cancer CenterSee Small Animal Imaging application page for more related webinars.
PubMed
- Why Image in the Near-Infrared?
Adams, KE et al.
Comparison of Visible and near-infrared wavelength-excitable fluorescent dyes for molecular imaging of cancer.
J Biomed Opt. 12(2):024017 (2007)Kovar, J et al.
A systematic approach to the development of fluorescent contrast agents for optical imaging of mouse cancer models.
Anal Biochem. 367(1):1-12 (2007)Osterman, H and Schutz-Geschwender, A.
Seeing beyond the visible with IRDye infrared dyes
LI-COR Biosciences (2007)Olive, DM.
Near infrared technology and optical agents for molecular imaging
LI-COR Biosciences (2006)
- Development of Imaging Agents
Kovar, J et al.
A systematic approach to the development of fluorescent contrast agents for optical imaging of mouse cancer models.
Anal Biochem. 367(1):1-12 (2007)Kovar, J et al.
Purification method directly influences effectiveness of an epidermal growth factor-coupled targeting agent for noninvasive tumor detection in mice.
Anal Biochem. 361(1):47-54 (2007)Kovar, J. et al.
EGF-IRDye 800CW: in vitro and in vivo characterization as a biomarker for optical fluorescent imaging of tumor growth kinetics.
Poster presentation, SMI Annual Meeting (2005)
- Targeted Imaging Agents
Wang, H et al.
Site-specifically biotinylated VEGF121 for near-infrared fluorescence imaging of tumor angiogenesis.
Mol Pharmaceutics. 6(1):285–294 (2009)Chen, K et al.
RGD–human serum albumin conjugates as efficient tumor targeting probes.
Mol Imaging. 8(2):65-73 (2009)Kovar, J et al.
Integrin-specific near infrared optical imaging agent for tumor-induced angiogenesis detection in mice.
Poster presentation, AACR Annual Meeting (2009)Virostko, J et al.
A molecular imaging paradigm to rapidly profile response to angiogenesis-directed therapy in small animals.
Mol Imaging Biol. 11(3):204-12 (2009)Sampath, L et al.
Dual-labeled trastuzumab-based imaging agent for the detection of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 overexpression in breast cancer.
J Nucl Med. 48(9):1501-10 (2007)Kovar, J et al.
Purification method directly influences effectiveness of an epidermal growth factor-coupled targeting agent for noninvasive tumor detection in mice.
Anal Biochem. 361(1):47-54 (2007)Kovar, J et al.
Hyaluronidase expression induces prostate tumor metastasis in an orthotopic mouse model. Am J Pathol. 169(4):1415-26 (2006)Houston, JP et al.
Quality analysis of in vivo near-infrared fluorescence and conventional gamma images acquired using a dual-labeled tumor-targeting probe.
J Biomed Opt. 10:054010 (2005)Kovar, J et al.
Monitoring progression of prostate tumors in mice by receptor-targeted near infrared optical imaging.
Poster presentation, In Vivo Molecular Imaging Annual Meeting (2005)
