Multimodal imaging of functionalized nanoprobes

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When probing biological tissues in vivo, photo-acoustic imaging has recently emerged as an appealing bio-imaging technique, which combines the high spatial resolution of acoustics with the high contrast and molecular probe capabilities associated with optics. Photo-Acoustic-Tomography (PAT) is a method using both optical and ultrasound propagation. The underlying physical process begins by exciting absorbers in tissues with pulsed laser light. Endogenous or exogenous absorbers then dissipate the energy in vibration that can be detected by wide band transducers. In animals, applications to brain tumours, functional activation, and molecular imaging have been demonstrated. Human applications are also emerging such as skin and breast cancer detection. Despite the high resolutions and exquisite images achieved by PAT, quantification issues akin to those found in diffuse optical imaging arise. The distribution of light reaching the absorbers is unknown and needs to be modeled. This can be done by simulating light propagation in tissues but knowledge of the anatomy and tissue distribution is necessary to perform those simulations. Without this quantification, the images generated in PAT will have limited value to the pre-clinical researcher and it becomes clear that this is the next issue that needs to be addressed by this modality.