Biomedical Imaging beyond the Visible - Fluorescence Imaging in the Shortwave-Infrared

Date

Feb 1, 2024

Time

11:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Speaker

Oliver Bruns

Affiliation

NCT Dresden

Series

MPI-CBG Thursday Seminar

Language

en

Main Topic

Biologie

Host

Jan Peychl

Description

SWIR provides several advantages over the visible and near-infrared regions: general lack of autofluorescence, low light absorption by blood and tissue, and reduced scattering. In this wavelength range tissues become translucent. Recent progress in detection technology and the development of probes demonstrated that, in principal, SWIR imaging enables applications which were previously not feasible with any other technique. These advantages will enable new capabilities in preclinical imaging. While the optical advantages are clear, the successful translation of SWIR imaging into routine applications requires novel, bright and targeted probes as well as advanced imaging setups. Most SWIR imaging setups so far are used for proof of principal demonstrations only. To utilize the full potential, our first goal is developing novel SWIR imaging setups, which enable high-speed intravital imaging, ultra-sensitive whole animal imaging and fluorescence molecular tomography in mice in the SWIR. Our second goal is to develop novel bright and targeted SWIR probes for preclinical research in oncology. The novel applications include SWIR imaging of physiology and metabolic activity and targeted SWIR imaging of tumors. SWIR intravital microscopy will allow imaging the brain vasculature around tumors in mice through intact skin and skull and generating detailed blood flow-maps in mice. In the future, advantages of SWIR imaging will also improve fluorescence guided surgery and other clinical applications in precision medicine. To advance clinical research and enable clinicians to utilize and benefit from the great potential of SWIR imaging, the overarching goal of us is to develop novel non- toxic SWIR probes for future clinical use. The unprecedented sensitivity of SWIR imaging in combination with its deep penetration and high resolution should allow detecting cancer cells with very high sensitivity, which is an ultimate goal for a surgeon.

Last modified: Feb 2, 2024, 7:36:25 AM