Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 1, 2026
Live Imaging of Drug Responses in the Tumor Microenvironment in Mouse Models of Breast Cancer
Published on: March 24, 2013
In situ analysis of breast cancer progression in murine models using a macroscopic fluorescence imaging system
Alicia L Carlson1, Michaela R Hoffmeyer, Kristin M Wall
1Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, USA.
Background And Objective:
The goal of this study was to use an inexpensive macroscopic imaging system to monitor tumor progression in mouse models in real-time with minimal intervention.
Study Design/Materials And Methods:
Illumination is provided via a xenon arc lamp and a fiber optic probe which delivers white light or quasi-monochromatic excitation via specific bandpass filters. Fluorescence emission from SCID and nude mice following mammary fat pad injection of red fluorescence protein (RFP)-expressing human breast cancer cell lines was recorded and quantified using a single lens reflex (SLR) digital camera.
Results:
This simple system enabled the verification of successful tumor take and temporal quantification of tumor progression in mouse models.
Conclusion:
The macroscopic fluorescence imaging system represents an inexpensive and portable tool to facilitate non-invasive in situ cancer detection with the potential to monitor fluorescent tumor formation and investigation of the efficacy of potential cancer therapeutics.
