Multimodal Investigation of Angiogenesis and Its Prevention by Small Compounds in a Zebrafish Cancer Model

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Biomedical Imaging
• Vascular Biology

Background:

• Aberrant angiogenesis is crucial for tumor growth and metastasis.
• Current anti-angiogenic therapies face limitations due to patient response and resistance.
• Understanding tumor vascularization mechanisms is vital for improving cancer treatments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate an ultra-high resolution optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) pipeline for in vivo tumor vascularization analysis.
• To compare blood vessel functionality in healthy versus tumor-bearing zebrafish models.
• To assess the efficacy of small compounds in modulating tumor vascularization and blood perfusion.

Main Methods:

• Utilized an ultra-high resolution OCTA and confocal fluorescence imaging pipeline in a zebrafish cancer model.
• Optimized 800 nm OCTA imaging to detect slow blood flow and analyze vessel structure.
• Performed qualitative and quantitative assessments of vascularization and blood perfusion.

Main Results:

• The OCTA pipeline successfully visualized and analyzed tumor vascularization and blood perfusion in vivo.
• Differences in blood vessel functionality between healthy and tumor-bearing zebrafish were identified.
• The setup allowed for the evaluation of small compounds' effects on tumor vascularization at various concentrations.

Conclusions:

• OCTA is a powerful non-invasive tool for studying tumor angiogenesis and evaluating anti-cancer drug efficacy.
• This imaging approach provides detailed insights into tumor vascular structure and blood flow dynamics.
• The developed pipeline can aid in the discovery and development of novel anti-angiogenic therapies.