Hybrid optical-ultrasound scanner for cancer imaging

描述（由申请人提供） 目前正在有系统地努力开发荧光染料和成像系统，用于在体内检查发病机理和在分子一级进行治疗。这些技术的基本原理是：a）在不受干扰的环境中阐明疾病的分子机制，B）允许基于分子靶点的疾病早期检测，以及c）允许设计患者特异性治疗并监测其分子效应的治疗。最近开发的层析成像方法有望带来三维成像能力和量化能力，显着改善目前主要基于平面照明技术的体内荧光检测方法。荧光成像系统可以实现高度通用和成本有效的成像实践，并且能够将几种优雅的体外荧光测定转移到体内应用。与核方法类似，光学断层扫描将极大地受益于产生解剖对比的成像模式的组合。从不同的重要成像方式可用的超声可能是一个非常有利的替代。首先，它与光学成像接口良好，因为它们都可以非常便携，尺寸小且具有成本效益。其次，它们都使用非电离辐射，因此它们的组合产生类似的操作简单性。最终，组合的超声-光学模态可以产生通用且经济的成像系统，其反过来可以改善超声成像的整体当前临床适用性，并为癌症成像提供简单但高信息的成像解决方案。本文提出使用高分辨率超声和荧光分子断层扫描对小动物进行临床前评价。该混合系统可以提供解剖信息，通过超声多普勒成像和氧合和脱氧血红蛋白成像的光学系统的功能信息，并最终通过使用目标特异性荧光染料的分子对比。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant) Systematic efforts are under way to develop fluorochromes and imaging systems for in-viva examinations of pathogenesis and of treatment at the molecular level. The rationale for such technologies is a) to elucidate molecular mechanisms of disease in unperturbed environments overtime, b) to allow earlier detection of disease based on molecular targets and c) to permit design of patient-specific treatments and monitor therapies on their molecular effect. Recently developed tomographic approaches promise to bring three-dimensional imaging capacity and quantification capability, significantly improving current in-vivo fluorescence detection methods mainly based in planar illumination techniques. fluorescent imaging systems can enable a highly versatile and cost-effective imaging practice and enable the transfer of several elegant in-vitro fluorescent assays to in-vivo application. Similarly to nuclear methods, optical tomography would greatly benefit from the combination of an imaging modality that yields anatomical contrast. From the different important imaging modalities available ultrasound may be a very advantageous alternative. First it interfaces well with optical imaging in that they can be both made extremely portable, small in dimensions and cost-efficient. Second they both use non-ionizing radiation so their combination yields similar operational simplicity. Ultimately a combined ultrasound-optical modality could yield a versatile and economic imaging system that in return can improve the overall current clinical applicability of ultrasound imaging and give simple but high-information imaging solutions to cancer imaging. Pre-clinical evaluation with small animals is proposed herein using high-resolution ultrasound and fluorescence molecular tomography. The hybrid system could offer anatomical information, functional information through ultrasound Doppler imaging and oxy- and deoxy- hemoglobin imaging by the optical system and finally molecular contrast via the use of target specific fluorochromes.