Email bio-eu@licor.com
PEARL® IMAGER
Applications for the Pearl Imaging System
STRUCTURAL IMAGING
Application Overview
IMPORTANT: IRDye 680LT dye products should not be used for small animal in vivo imaging.
Figure 1. IRDye 800CW EGF Optical Probe was used to detect an A431 tumor (800 nm channel, pseudo-color). IRDye 680 BoneTag™ was used to visualize skeletal structures (700 nm channel, grayscale), aiding in anatomical localization of the tumor. Image captured with the Pearl Imager.
Structural imaging is often employed to more precisely localize an area of disease.
Bone mineralization may be marked with a fluorescently-labeled bone agent.
A second targeting agent, labeled with a spectrally distinct fluorescent dye, can then be used to localize and track disease – a tumor, for example – in the same animal.
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When the two images are overlaid, the bone structure is displayed in one color, and the other target appears in a different color.
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 advantageous1. 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 lowered2,3.
[ABOVE] Figure 2. IRDye 800CW BoneTag was used to demonstrate resolution of structural imaging. Image captured with the Pearl Imager.
1. Hawrysz, DJ and Sevick-Muraca, EM. Neoplasia 2(5):388–417 (2000)
2. Frangioni, JV. Curr Opin Chem Biol. 7:626-34 (2003)
3. Adams, KE, et al. J Biomed Opt. 12:024017 (2007)
Technical Resources
Webinars and Video Tutorials:
- 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-COR“Near Infrared Fluorescent Approaches to Cell-Based Assays and Small Animal Imaging”
Amy Geschwender, LI-COR
See 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():1-12 (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)
- Developing 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)
- Targeted Imaging
Kovar, J et al.
Effective bone labeling for in vivo NIR noninvasive imaging in nude mice.
Poster presentation, Joint Molecular Imaging Conference (2007)Kovar, J et al.
Characterization and performance of a near-infrared 2-deoxyglucose optical imaging agent for mouse cancer models.
Anal Biochem. 384(2): 254-62 (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)Kovar, J et al.
Purification method directly influences effectiveness of an epidermal growth factor-coupled targeting agent for noninvasive tumor detection in mice.< br /> 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)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)
