Micro CT/NIR Molecular Imaging of Cancer

描述（由申请人提供）：本提案的基本假设是，随着对癌症组织的结构和功能更敏感的近红外光谱成像能力的增加，计算机断层扫描可以显著增强，从而提高对癌症治疗的理解和发展。这一总体假设的实际测试集中在癌症治疗中用于肿瘤诊断和监测的新型临床前成像系统的开发上。将小动物x射线计算机断层扫描（microCT）与近红外（NIR）断层扫描系统相结合。这种微型ct /近红外系统将是世界上同类系统中唯一的，并将允许高分辨率成像软组织体积和定量血红蛋白，氧饱和度，水和外源性分子示踪剂，与ct引导图像重建。该研究将评估近红外断层成像与CT的最佳耦合，包括接触式和非接触式系统。该研究将测试宽带光谱断层扫描，以提供尽可能多的信息，并利用基于模型的图像重建过程中对边界误差不敏感的非接触数据进行重建。完成的系统将用于血管和细胞定向治疗引起的肿瘤损伤的研究。该系统将与Imtek公司建立独特的学术-工业合作伙伴关系，并得到NCI光学成像转化研究网络（NTROI）的机构支持和合作伙伴关系。该系统是专门根据CT-PET成像的创新设计的，该成像可以用相同的系统完成，但在这个应用中，我们将利用近红外成像的能力来提供功能组织信息。CT信息被实现为软先验信息，可用于约束或初始先验信息。该系统将与皮下和原位前列腺癌肿瘤进行评估，这些肿瘤具有良好的血管密度和氧直方图特征。该系统将用于定义最大的信号变化与噪声的对比，这是治疗变化的定量标志。这项工作的高潮将看到一个独一无二的断层扫描系统的工作版本，并为未来的人类研究铺平道路，并用于自发的动物研究，以发现和跟踪肿瘤生长，否则将无法检测到。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The underlying hypothesis in this proposal is that Computed Tomography could be significantly augmented with the addition of near-infrared spectral imaging capabilities which are more sensitive to the structure and function of cancer tissues, and that improved understanding and development of cancer therapies will then be possible. The practical tests of this overarching hypothesis are focused on the development of a novel pre-clinical imaging system for tumor diagnosis and monitoring in cancer therapy. A small animal x-ray Computed Tomography (microCT) with Near-Infrared (NIR) tomography system will be combined. This microCT/NIR system will be the only system of its kind in the world, and will allow high resolution imaging of soft tissue volumes and quantification of hemoglobin, oxygen saturation, water and exogenous molecular tracers, with CT-guided image reconstruction. The study will evaluate the optimal coupling of NIR tomography into the CT, including contact and non-contact based systems. The study will test broadband spectral tomography to provide the maximal information possible and utilize reconstruction from non-contact data which is insensitive to boundary errors in the model-based image reconstruction procedure. The completed system will be used in studies of tumor damage induced by vascular and cellular directed therapies. The system will be developed in a unique academic-industry partnership with Imtek Inc, as well as with institutional support and with partnership from the NCI Network for Translational Research in Optical Imaging (NTROI). This system is specifically being designed following the innovations in CT-PET imaging that can be done with the same system, but in this application we will exploit the capabilities for NIR imaging to provide functional tissue information. The CT information is implemented as a soft prior information which can be utilized for constraint or initial prior information. The system will be evaluated with subcutaneous and orthotopic prostate cancer tumors which have well characterized vascular densities and oxygen histograms. The system will be used to define the maximal signal changes in terms of contrast to noise, which are quantitative signatures of therapeutic change. The culmination of this work will see the a working version of a one of a kind tomography system, and pave the way for future human studies, and be used in spontaneous animal studies to find and follow tumor growth which would otherwise be undetectable.