文章基本信息

标题：Deep-tissue optical imaging of near cellular-sized features
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作者：Xiangnan Dang ; Neelkanth M. Bardhan ; Jifa Qi 等
期刊名称：Scientific Reports
电子版ISSN：2045-2322
出版年度：2019
卷号：9
期号：1
页码：1-12
DOI：10.1038/s41598-019-39502-w
出版社：Springer Nature
摘要：Detection of biological features at the cellular level with sufficient sensitivity in complex tissue remains a major challenge. To appreciate this challenge, this would require finding tens to hundreds of cells (a 0.1 mm tumor has ~125 cells), out of ~37 trillion cells in the human body. Near-infrared optical imaging holds promise for high-resolution, deep-tissue imaging, but is limited by autofluorescence and scattering. To date, the maximum reported depth using second-window near-infrared (NIR-II: 1000-1700 nm) fluorophores is 3.2 cm through tissue. Here, we design an NIR-II imaging system, "Detection of Optically Luminescent Probes using Hyperspectral and diffuse Imaging in Near-infrared" (DOLPHIN), that resolves these challenges. DOLPHIN achieves the following: (i) resolution of probes through up to 8 cm of tissue phantom; (ii) identification of spectral and scattering signatures of tissues without a priori knowledge of background or autofluorescence; and (iii) 3D reconstruction of live whole animals. Notably, we demonstrate noninvasive real-time tracking of a 0.1 mm-sized fluorophore through the gastrointestinal tract of a living mouse, which is beyond the detection limit of current imaging modalities.