Development of Stereo NIR-II Fluorescence Imaging System for 3D Tumor Vasculature in Small Animals

Biosensors (Basel). 2022 Jan 30;12(2):85. doi: 10.3390/bios12020085.

Abstract

Near-infrared-II (NIR-II, 1000-1700 nm) fluorescence imaging boasts high spatial resolution and deep tissue penetration due to low light scattering, reduced photon absorption, and low tissue autofluorescence. NIR-II biological imaging is applied mainly in the noninvasive visualization of blood vessels and tumors in deep tissue. In the study, a stereo NIR-II fluorescence imaging system was developed for acquiring three-dimension (3D) images on tumor vasculature in real-time, on top of the development of fluorescent semiconducting polymer dots (IR-TPE Pdots) with ultra-bright NIR-II fluorescence (1000-1400 nm) and high stability to perform long-term fluorescence imaging. The NIR-II imaging system only consists of one InGaAs camera and a moving stage to simulate left-eye view and right-eye view for the construction of 3D in-depth blood vessel images. The system was validated with blood vessel phantom of tumor-bearing mice and was applied successfully in obtaining 3D blood vessel images with 0.6 mm- and 5 mm-depth resolution and 0.15 mm spatial resolution. The NIR-II stereo vision provides precise 3D information on the tumor microenvironment and blood vessel path.

Keywords: NIR-II fluorescence imaging; polymer dots; reconstruction; stereo imaging; tumor vasculature.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Fluorescent Dyes* / chemistry
  • Mice
  • Neoplasms* / diagnostic imaging
  • Optical Imaging / methods
  • Photons
  • Polymers / chemistry

Substances

  • Fluorescent Dyes
  • Polymers