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Updated: Aug 17, 2026
Long-term Culture of Human Breast Cancer Specimens and Their Analysis Using Optical Projection Tomography
Published on: July 29, 2011
Optical imaging of spontaneous breast tumors using protease sensing 'smart' optical probes
Christoph Bremer1, Vasilis Ntziachristos, Benedikt Weitkamp
1Department of Clinical Radiology, University of Muenster, Germany. bremerc@uni-muenster.de
Objective:
The objective of this study was to determine if spontaneous breast cancer lesions can be detected by fluorescence reflectance imaging (FRI) and fluorescence mediated tomography (FMT) using protease-sensing optical probes.
Materials And Methods:
Transgenic (FVB/N-TgN (WapHRAS)69Lin Y)) mice, which spontaneously develop breast cancer, were injected intravenously with a cathepsin-sensing fluorescent imaging probe. FRI and FMT were performed 24 hours after probe injection and region of interest (ROI) analysis was performed. Magnetic resonance images were acquired for anatomic coregistration with the FMT data. Moreover, correlative immunohistochemistry and fluorescence microscopy were performed.
Results:
All tumor nodules were clearly delineated by FRI showing an average signal intensity of 380 +/- 106 AU. Similarly, tumors were clearly detected by FMT imaging. Immunohistochemistry confirmed cathepsin-B expression of primary tumors and fluorescence microscopy revealed a strong Cy 5.5 deposition in the tissue.
Conclusions:
FRI and FMT using "smart" protease sensing probes permits detection of experimental spontaneous breast cancers. Because the expression levels of various proteases correlate with patient outcome, this technique may not only help to detect, but also to differentiate breast cancers noninvasively.
