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A practical guide to photoswitching optoacoustics tomography
Mariia Stankevych1, Kanuj Mishra1, Vasilis Ntziachristos2
1Institute of Biological and Medical Imaging (IBMI), Helmholtz Zentrum München (GmbH), Neuherberg, Germany.
Methods in Enzymology
|August 6, 2021
Summary
Photochromic proteins enable optoacoustic (OA) imaging of small cell numbers in live animals. This technique enhances signal detection, facilitating broader use in research and preclinical studies.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Imaging
- Molecular Biology
- Biophysics
Background:
- Photochromic proteins offer controllable light modulation.
- Photoswitching optoacoustics (OA) leverages this for enhanced signal detection.
- Current OA methods face challenges in visualizing small cell populations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To present analysis approaches for photoswitching optoacoustic imaging.
- To enable routine visualization of small cell numbers in live animals.
- To facilitate wider adoption of OA in life science and preclinical research.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing photoswitching agents with optoacoustic tomography (OAT).
- Developing data analysis strategies to exploit signal modulation.
- Applying methods to commercial OAT instrumentation.
Main Results:
- Demonstrated routine visualization of hundreds of transgene-labeled cells per imaging volume.
- Successfully discriminated photoswitching agent signals from background noise.
- Validated analysis approaches on data from live animal imaging.
Conclusions:
- Photoswitching optoacoustics provides a powerful tool for sensitive cell imaging in vivo.
- The presented analysis methods are readily applicable to existing OAT systems.
- This advancement can significantly impact preclinical research and diagnostics.
