Dynamic fluorescence imaging for multiparametric measurement of tumor vasculature

Abstract

Angiogenesis is essential for tumor growth and a promising target for cancer therapy. Blood vessel monitoring is an indispensable tool for evaluation and development of anti-angiogenic drugs. Here, we report a new noninvasive in vivo imaging tool, named dynamic fluorescence imaging (DyFI), for the simultaneous measurement of multiple vascular parameters, such as vascular density, perfusion rate, and permeability, using spatiotemporal profiles of indocyanine green. Using DyFI in a tumor xenograft model, we quantitatively measured multiple vascular parameters in tumors and normal tissues with high spatial resolution. The multimodality of this method allowed us to find a negative spatial correlation between perfusion and permeability. Moreover, DyFI was effective for revealing the early effects of an anti-angiogenic drug; these findings were validated using two-photon microscopy. We suggest that DyFI could be a useful tool for the preclinical development of anti-angiogenic drugs. © 2009 SPIE.