Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 19, 2026
Validation of Nanobody and Antibody Based In Vivo Tumor Xenograft NIRF-imaging Experiments in Mice Using Ex Vivo Flow Cytometry and Microscopy
Published on: April 6, 2015
Improved Debulking of Peritoneal Tumor Implants by Near-Infrared Fluorescent Nanobody Image Guidance in an
Pieterjan Debie1, Marian Vanhoeij2, Natalie Poortmans2
1Laboratory for In vivo Cellular and Molecular Imaging, ICMI-BEFY, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Laabeeklaan 103, 1090, Jette, Brussels, Belgium. pieterjan.debie91@gmail.com.
Purpose:
Debulking followed by combination chemotherapy is currently regarded as the most effective treatment for advanced ovarian cancer. Prognosis depends drastically on the degree of debulking. Accordingly, near-infrared (NIR) fluorescence imaging has been proposed to revolutionize cancer surgery by acting as a sensitive, specific, and real-time tool enabling visualization of cancer lesions. We have previously developed a NIR-labeled nanobody that allows fast, specific, and high-contrast imaging of HER2-positive tumors. In this study, we applied this tracer during fluorescence-guided surgery in a mouse model and investigated the effect on surgical efficiency.
Procedures:
0.5 × 106 SKOV3.IP1-Luc+ cells were inoculated intraperitoneally in athymic mice and were allowed to grow for 30 days. Two nanomoles of IRDye800CW-anti-HER2 nanobody was injected intravenously. After 1h30, mice were killed, randomized in two groups, and subjected to surgery. In the first animal group (n = 7), lesions were removed by a conventional surgical protocol, followed by excision of remaining fluorescent tissue using a NIR camera. The second group of mice (n = 6) underwent directly fluorescence-guided surgery. Bioluminescence imaging was performed before and after surgery. Resected tissue was categorized as visualized during conventional surgery or not, fluorescent or not, and bioluminescent positive or negative.
Results:
Fluorescence imaging allowed clear visualization of tumor nodules within the abdomen, up to submillimeter-sized lesions. Fluorescence guidance resulted in significantly reduced residual tumor as compared to conventional surgery. Moreover, sensitivity increased from 59.3 to 99.0 %, and the percentage of false positive lesions detected decreased from 19.6 to 7.1 %.
Conclusions:
This study demonstrates the advantage of intraoperative fluorescence imaging using nanobody-based tracers on the efficiency of debulking surgery.
