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Nonlinear Optical Microscopy for Melanoma: Challenges, Tools and Opportunities.
1Wellman Center for Photomedicine, Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA.
Photochemistry and Photobiology
|February 28, 2018
Summary
New nonlinear imaging techniques allow for sub-cellular visualization and quantification of melanins, crucial for understanding melanoma progression. These advanced methods offer label-free, in vivo analysis, paving the way for clinical applications.
Area of Science:
- Biophysics
- Dermatology
- Medical Imaging
Background:
- Melanins are natural pigments implicated in melanoma etiology and progression.
- Previous melanin quantification relied on bulk tissue analysis ex vivo.
- The precise roles of melanins in melanoma remain incompletely understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce and validate advanced nonlinear imaging techniques for melanin quantification.
- To enable sub-cellular and in vivo imaging of melanins.
- To advance the understanding of melanin's role in melanoma.
Main Methods:
- Utilized nonlinear imaging methods: pump-probe, coherent Raman, and sum-frequency absorption microscopies.
- Achieved label-free, sub-cellular resolution imaging.
- Performed longitudinal quantification of eumelanin and pheomelanin in situ and in vivo.
Main Results:
- Demonstrated sub-cellular resolution imaging of melanins.
- Enabled label-free, in vivo quantification of melanin types.
- Validated nonlinear imaging techniques in animal models and human samples.
Conclusions:
- Nonlinear imaging offers unprecedented capabilities for melanin visualization and quantification.
- These techniques are nearing clinical applicability for melanoma research and diagnostics.
- Future development of mobile imaging systems will enhance clinical utility.
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