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Ramakrishnan V, Schönmehl R, Artinger A, Winter L, Böck H, Schreml S, Gürtler F, Daza J, Schmitt VH, Mamilos A, Arbelaez P, Teufel A, Niedermair T, Topolcan O, Karlíková M, Sossalla S, Wiedenroth CB, Rupp M, Brochhausen C. 3D Visualization, Skeletonization and Branching Analysis of Blood Vessels in Angiogenesis. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24097714. [PMID: 37175421 PMCID: PMC10178731 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24097714] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2023] [Revised: 04/20/2023] [Accepted: 04/21/2023] [Indexed: 05/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Angiogenesis is the process of new blood vessels growing from existing vasculature. Visualizing them as a three-dimensional (3D) model is a challenging, yet relevant, task as it would be of great help to researchers, pathologists, and medical doctors. A branching analysis on the 3D model would further facilitate research and diagnostic purposes. In this paper, a pipeline of vision algorithms is elaborated to visualize and analyze blood vessels in 3D from formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) granulation tissue sections with two different staining methods. First, a U-net neural network is used to segment blood vessels from the tissues. Second, image registration is used to align the consecutive images. Coarse registration using an image-intensity optimization technique, followed by finetuning using a neural network based on Spatial Transformers, results in an excellent alignment of images. Lastly, the corresponding segmented masks depicting the blood vessels are aligned and interpolated using the results of the image registration, resulting in a visualized 3D model. Additionally, a skeletonization algorithm is used to analyze the branching characteristics of the 3D vascular model. In summary, computer vision and deep learning is used to reconstruct, visualize and analyze a 3D vascular model from a set of parallel tissue samples. Our technique opens innovative perspectives in the pathophysiological understanding of vascular morphogenesis under different pathophysiological conditions and its potential diagnostic role.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vignesh Ramakrishnan
- Institute of Pathology, University of Regensburg, 93053 Regensburg, Germany
- Central Biobank Regensburg, University and University Hospital Regensburg, 93053 Regensburg, Germany
| | - Rebecca Schönmehl
- Institute of Pathology, University Medical Centre Mannheim, Heidelberg University, 68167 Mannheim, Germany
| | - Annalena Artinger
- Institute of Pathology, University Medical Centre Mannheim, Heidelberg University, 68167 Mannheim, Germany
| | - Lina Winter
- Institute of Pathology, University Medical Centre Mannheim, Heidelberg University, 68167 Mannheim, Germany
| | - Hendrik Böck
- Institute of Pathology, University Medical Centre Mannheim, Heidelberg University, 68167 Mannheim, Germany
| | - Stephan Schreml
- Department of Dermatology, University Medical Centre Regensburg, 93053 Regensburg, Germany
| | - Florian Gürtler
- Institute of Pathology, University of Regensburg, 93053 Regensburg, Germany
- Central Biobank Regensburg, University and University Hospital Regensburg, 93053 Regensburg, Germany
| | - Jimmy Daza
- Department of Internal Medicine II, Division of Hepatology, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, 68167 Mannheim, Germany
| | - Volker H Schmitt
- Department of Cardiology, University Medical Centre, Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz, 55131 Mainz, Germany
| | - Andreas Mamilos
- Institute of Pathology, University of Regensburg, 93053 Regensburg, Germany
- Central Biobank Regensburg, University and University Hospital Regensburg, 93053 Regensburg, Germany
| | - Pablo Arbelaez
- Center for Research and Formation in Artificial Intelligence (CinfonIA), Universidad de Los Andes, 111711 Bogota, Colombia
| | - Andreas Teufel
- Department of Internal Medicine II, Division of Hepatology, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, 68167 Mannheim, Germany
| | - Tanja Niedermair
- Institute of Pathology, University of Regensburg, 93053 Regensburg, Germany
- Central Biobank Regensburg, University and University Hospital Regensburg, 93053 Regensburg, Germany
| | - Ondrej Topolcan
- Biomedical Center, Faculty of Medicine in Pilsen, Charles University, 32300 Pilsen, Czech Republic
| | - Marie Karlíková
- Biomedical Center, Faculty of Medicine in Pilsen, Charles University, 32300 Pilsen, Czech Republic
| | - Samuel Sossalla
- Department of Internal Medicine II, University Hospital Regensburg, 93053 Regensburg, Germany
| | | | - Markus Rupp
- Department of Trauma Surgery, University Medical Centre Regensburg, 93053 Regensburg, Germany
| | - Christoph Brochhausen
- Institute of Pathology, University of Regensburg, 93053 Regensburg, Germany
- Institute of Pathology, University Medical Centre Mannheim, Heidelberg University, 68167 Mannheim, Germany
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2
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Brown EL, Lefebvre TL, Sweeney PW, Stolz BJ, Gröhl J, Hacker L, Huang Z, Couturier DL, Harrington HA, Byrne HM, Bohndiek SE. Quantification of vascular networks in photoacoustic mesoscopy. PHOTOACOUSTICS 2022; 26:100357. [PMID: 35574188 PMCID: PMC9095888 DOI: 10.1016/j.pacs.2022.100357] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Mesoscopic photoacoustic imaging (PAI) enables non-invasive visualisation of tumour vasculature. The visual or semi-quantitative 2D measurements typically applied to mesoscopic PAI data fail to capture the 3D vessel network complexity and lack robust ground truths for assessment of accuracy. Here, we developed a pipeline for quantifying 3D vascular networks captured using mesoscopic PAI and tested the preservation of blood volume and network structure with topological data analysis. Ground truth data of in silico synthetic vasculatures and a string phantom indicated that learning-based segmentation best preserves vessel diameter and blood volume at depth, while rule-based segmentation with vesselness image filtering accurately preserved network structure in superficial vessels. Segmentation of vessels in breast cancer patient-derived xenografts (PDXs) compared favourably to ex vivo immunohistochemistry. Furthermore, our findings underscore the importance of validating segmentation methods when applying mesoscopic PAI as a tool to evaluate vascular networks in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma L. Brown
- Department of Physics, University of Cambridge, JJ Thomson Avenue, Cambridge CB3 0HE, UK
- Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute, University of Cambridge, Robinson Way, Cambridge CB2 0RE, UK
| | - Thierry L. Lefebvre
- Department of Physics, University of Cambridge, JJ Thomson Avenue, Cambridge CB3 0HE, UK
- Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute, University of Cambridge, Robinson Way, Cambridge CB2 0RE, UK
| | - Paul W. Sweeney
- Department of Physics, University of Cambridge, JJ Thomson Avenue, Cambridge CB3 0HE, UK
- Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute, University of Cambridge, Robinson Way, Cambridge CB2 0RE, UK
| | - Bernadette J. Stolz
- Mathematical Institute, University of Oxford, Woodstock Road, Oxford OX2 6GG, UK
| | - Janek Gröhl
- Department of Physics, University of Cambridge, JJ Thomson Avenue, Cambridge CB3 0HE, UK
- Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute, University of Cambridge, Robinson Way, Cambridge CB2 0RE, UK
| | - Lina Hacker
- Department of Physics, University of Cambridge, JJ Thomson Avenue, Cambridge CB3 0HE, UK
- Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute, University of Cambridge, Robinson Way, Cambridge CB2 0RE, UK
| | - Ziqiang Huang
- Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute, University of Cambridge, Robinson Way, Cambridge CB2 0RE, UK
| | | | | | - Helen M. Byrne
- Mathematical Institute, University of Oxford, Woodstock Road, Oxford OX2 6GG, UK
| | - Sarah E. Bohndiek
- Department of Physics, University of Cambridge, JJ Thomson Avenue, Cambridge CB3 0HE, UK
- Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute, University of Cambridge, Robinson Way, Cambridge CB2 0RE, UK
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3
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Development of Stereo NIR-II Fluorescence Imaging System for 3D Tumor Vasculature in Small Animals. BIOSENSORS 2022; 12:bios12020085. [PMID: 35200345 PMCID: PMC8869613 DOI: 10.3390/bios12020085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2021] [Revised: 01/28/2022] [Accepted: 01/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Near-infrared-II (NIR-II, 1000–1700 nm) fluorescence imaging boasts high spatial resolution and deep tissue penetration due to low light scattering, reduced photon absorption, and low tissue autofluorescence. NIR-II biological imaging is applied mainly in the noninvasive visualization of blood vessels and tumors in deep tissue. In the study, a stereo NIR-II fluorescence imaging system was developed for acquiring three-dimension (3D) images on tumor vasculature in real-time, on top of the development of fluorescent semiconducting polymer dots (IR-TPE Pdots) with ultra-bright NIR-II fluorescence (1000–1400 nm) and high stability to perform long-term fluorescence imaging. The NIR-II imaging system only consists of one InGaAs camera and a moving stage to simulate left-eye view and right-eye view for the construction of 3D in-depth blood vessel images. The system was validated with blood vessel phantom of tumor-bearing mice and was applied successfully in obtaining 3D blood vessel images with 0.6 mm- and 5 mm-depth resolution and 0.15 mm spatial resolution. The NIR-II stereo vision provides precise 3D information on the tumor microenvironment and blood vessel path.
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4
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Liu M, Deloria AJ, Haindl R, Li Q, Szakacs G, Csiszar A, Schrittwieser S, Muellner P, Hainberger R, Pelaz B, Polo E, Del Pino P, Penttinen A, Guina M, Niemi T, Meiburger K, Molinari F, Menhard C, Heidelin J, Andresen V, Geuzebroek D, Drexler W. REAP: revealing drug tolerant persister cells in cancer using contrast enhanced optical coherence and photoacoustic tomography. JPHYS PHOTONICS 2021. [DOI: 10.1088/2515-7647/abf02f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Despite chemotherapy, residual tumors often rely on so-called drug tolerant persister (DTP) cells, which evade treatment to give rise to therapy-resistant relapse and refractory disease. Detection of residual tumor cells proves to be challenging because of the rarity and heterogeneity of DTP cells. In the framework of a H2020 project, REAP will gather researchers and engineers from six countries, who will combine their expertise in biology, chemistry, oncology, material sciences, photonics, and electrical and biomedical engineering in the hope of revealing DTPs in cancer using contrast enhanced multimodal optical imaging. Laser sources for photoacoustic microscopy, photoacoustic tomography, and optical coherence tomography will be developed to enable the design of a two-photon laser scanning optical coherence photoacoustic microscopy system and an optical coherence photoacoustic tomography system. Furthermore, novel photoacoustic detectors using micro-ring resonator will be designed and fabricated, granting improved sensitivity and easier integration of multiple optical imaging modalities into a single system. Innovative algorithms will be developed to reconstruct and analyze the images quickly and automatically. With successful implementation of this four-year project, we can not only gain insight into the mechanisms governing DTPs, but also significantly advance the technology readiness level of contrast agents, lasers, sensors, and image analysis software through joint efforts.
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Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography Monitors Cutaneous Wound Healing under Angiogenesis-Promoting Treatment in Diabetic and Non-Diabetic Mice. APPLIED SCIENCES-BASEL 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/app11052447] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
During wound healing, the rapid re-establishment of a functional microcirculation in the wounded tissue is of utmost importance. We applied optical coherence tomography (OCT) angiography to evaluate vascular remodeling in an excisional wound model in the pinnae of C57BL/6 and db/db mice receiving different proangiogenic topical treatments. Analysis of the high-resolution OCT angiograms, including the four quantitative parameters vessel density, vessel length, number of bifurcations, and vessel tortuosity, revealed changes of the microvasculature and allowed identification of the overlapping wound healing phases hemostasis, inflammation, proliferation, and remodeling. Angiograms acquired in the inflammatory phase in the first days showed a dilation of vessels and recruitment of pre-existing capillaries. In the proliferative phase, angiogenesis with the sprouting of new capillaries into the wound tissue led to an increase of the OCT angiography parameters vessel density, normalized vessel length, number of bifurcations, and vessel tortuosity by 28–47%, 39–52%, 33–48%, and 3–8% versus baseline, respectively. After the peak observed on study days four to seven, the parameters slowly decreased but remained still elevated 18 days after wounding, indicating a continuing remodeling phase. Our study suggests that OCT angiography has the potential to serve as a valuable preclinical research tool in studies investigating impaired vascular remodeling during wound healing and potential new treatment strategies.
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6
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Lin L, Wang LV. Photoacoustic Imaging. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2021; 3233:147-175. [PMID: 34053027 DOI: 10.1007/978-981-15-7627-0_8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Photoacoustic imaging (PAI) is an emerging imaging modality that shows great potential for preclinical research and clinical practice. As a hybrid technique, PAI uniquely combines the advantages of optical excitation and of acoustic detection. Optical excitation provides a rich contrast mechanism from either endogenous or exogenous chromophores, allowing PAI to perform biochemical, functional, and molecular imaging. Acoustic detection benefits from the low scattering of ultrasound in biological tissue, enabling PAI to generate high-resolution images in both the optical ballistic and diffusive regimes. Accordingly, this hybrid imaging modality features high sensitivity to optical absorption and wide scalability of spatial resolution with the desired imaging depth. Over the past two decades, the photoacoustic technique has led to a variety of exciting discoveries and applications from laboratory research to clinical patient care. In biological research, PAI has become an irreplaceable tool, providing functional optical contrast with high spatiotemporal resolution. Translational PAI also attracted growing interest in clinical applications including tumor margin examination, internal organ imaging, breast cancer screening, and sentinel lymph node mapping, among others.
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Affiliation(s)
- Li Lin
- Caltech Optical Imaging Laboratory, Andrew and Peggy Cherng Department of Medical Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - Lihong V Wang
- Caltech Optical Imaging Laboratory, Andrew and Peggy Cherng Department of Medical Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA. .,Caltech Optical Imaging Laboratory, Department of Electrical Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA.
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7
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Ravina K, Lin L, Liu CY, Thomas D, Hasson D, Wang LV, Russin JJ. Prospects of Photo- and Thermoacoustic Imaging in Neurosurgery. Neurosurgery 2020; 87:11-24. [PMID: 31620798 DOI: 10.1093/neuros/nyz420] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2019] [Accepted: 07/25/2019] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The evolution of neurosurgery has been, and continues to be, closely associated with innovations in technology. Modern neurosurgery is wed to imaging technology and the future promises even more dependence on anatomic and, perhaps more importantly, functional imaging. The photoacoustic phenomenon was described nearly 140 yr ago; however, biomedical applications for this technology have only recently received significant attention. Light-based photoacoustic and microwave-based thermoacoustic technologies represent novel biomedical imaging modalities with broad application potential within and beyond neurosurgery. These technologies offer excellent imaging resolution while generally considered safer, more portable, versatile, and convenient than current imaging technologies. In this review, we summarize the current state of knowledge regarding photoacoustic and thermoacoustic imaging and their potential impact on the field of neurosurgery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristine Ravina
- Neurorestoration Center, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California
| | - Li Lin
- Caltech Optical Imaging Laboratory, Andrew and Peggy Cherng Department of Medical Engineering, Department of Electrical Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California.,Department of Biomedical Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Charles Y Liu
- Neurorestoration Center, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California.,Department of Neurological Surgery, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California.,Department of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California.,Tianqiao and Chrissy Chen Brain-machine Interface Center, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California
| | - Debi Thomas
- Department of Surgery, University of California Davis, Davis, California
| | - Denise Hasson
- Division of Critical Care Medicine, Cincinnati Children's Hospital, Cincinnati, Ohio
| | - Lihong V Wang
- Caltech Optical Imaging Laboratory, Andrew and Peggy Cherng Department of Medical Engineering, Department of Electrical Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California
| | - Jonathan J Russin
- Neurorestoration Center, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California.,Department of Neurological Surgery, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California
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8
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Sun M, Li C, Chen N, Zhao H, Ma L, Liu C, Shen Y, Lin R, Gong X. Full three-dimensional segmentation and quantification of tumor vessels for photoacoustic images. PHOTOACOUSTICS 2020; 20:100212. [PMID: 33101929 PMCID: PMC7569216 DOI: 10.1016/j.pacs.2020.100212] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2020] [Revised: 09/20/2020] [Accepted: 10/02/2020] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
Quantitative analysis of tumor vessels is of great significance for tumor staging and diagnosis. Photoacoustic imaging (PAI) has been proven to be an effective way to visualize comprehensive tumor vascular networks in three-dimensional (3D) volume, while previous studies only quantified the vessels projected in one plane. In this study, tumor vessels were segmented and quantified in a full 3D framework. It had been verified in the phantom experiments that the 3D quantification results have better accuracy than 2D. Furthermore, in vivo vessel images were quantified by 2D and 3D quantification methods respectively. And the difference between these two results is significant. In this study, complete vessel segmentation and quantification method within a 3D framework was implemented, which showed obvious advantage in the analysis accuracy of 3D photoacoustic images, and potentially improve tumor study and diagnosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mingjian Sun
- School of Information Science and Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology (Weihai), Weihai, China
- School of Astronautics, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, China
| | - Chao Li
- School of Information Science and Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology (Weihai), Weihai, China
- Research Laboratory for Biomedical Optics and Molecular Imaging, Shenzhen Key Laboratory for Molecular Imaging, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Biomedical Optical Imaging Technology, CAS Key Laboratory of Health Informatics, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, China
| | - Ningbo Chen
- Research Laboratory for Biomedical Optics and Molecular Imaging, Shenzhen Key Laboratory for Molecular Imaging, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Biomedical Optical Imaging Technology, CAS Key Laboratory of Health Informatics, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, China
| | - Huangxuan Zhao
- Research Laboratory for Biomedical Optics and Molecular Imaging, Shenzhen Key Laboratory for Molecular Imaging, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Biomedical Optical Imaging Technology, CAS Key Laboratory of Health Informatics, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, China
| | - Liyong Ma
- School of Information Science and Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology (Weihai), Weihai, China
| | - Chengbo Liu
- Research Laboratory for Biomedical Optics and Molecular Imaging, Shenzhen Key Laboratory for Molecular Imaging, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Biomedical Optical Imaging Technology, CAS Key Laboratory of Health Informatics, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, China
| | - Yi Shen
- School of Astronautics, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, China
| | - Riqiang Lin
- Research Laboratory for Biomedical Optics and Molecular Imaging, Shenzhen Key Laboratory for Molecular Imaging, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Biomedical Optical Imaging Technology, CAS Key Laboratory of Health Informatics, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, China
- Corresponding authors at: Research Laboratory for Biomedical Optics and Molecular Imaging, CAS Key Laboratory of Health Informatics, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1068 Xueyuan Boulevard, Shenzhen, 518055, China.
| | - Xiaojing Gong
- Research Laboratory for Biomedical Optics and Molecular Imaging, Shenzhen Key Laboratory for Molecular Imaging, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Biomedical Optical Imaging Technology, CAS Key Laboratory of Health Informatics, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, China
- Corresponding authors at: Research Laboratory for Biomedical Optics and Molecular Imaging, CAS Key Laboratory of Health Informatics, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1068 Xueyuan Boulevard, Shenzhen, 518055, China.
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9
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Chen AI, Balter ML, Maguire TJ, Yarmush ML. Deep learning robotic guidance for autonomous vascular access. NAT MACH INTELL 2020. [DOI: 10.1038/s42256-020-0148-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
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10
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Meiburger KM, Chen Z, Sinz C, Hoover E, Minneman M, Ensher J, Kittler H, Leitgeb RA, Drexler W, Liu M. Automatic skin lesion area determination of basal cell carcinoma using optical coherence tomography angiography and a skeletonization approach: Preliminary results. JOURNAL OF BIOPHOTONICS 2019; 12:e201900131. [PMID: 31100191 PMCID: PMC7065618 DOI: 10.1002/jbio.201900131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2019] [Revised: 05/15/2019] [Accepted: 05/16/2019] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
Cutaneous blood flow plays a key role in numerous physiological and pathological processes and has significant potential to be used as a biomarker to diagnose skin diseases such as basal cell carcinoma (BCC). The determination of the lesion area and vascular parameters within it, such as vessel density, is essential for diagnosis, surgical treatment and follow-up procedures. Here, an automatic skin lesion area determination algorithm based on optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) images is presented for the first time. The blood vessels are segmented within the OCTA images and then skeletonized. Subsequently, the skeleton is searched over the volume and numerous quantitative vascular parameters are calculated. The vascular density is then used to segment the lesion area. The algorithm is tested on both nodular and superficial BCC, and comparing with dermatological and histological results, the proposed method provides an accurate, non-invasive, quantitative and automatic tool for BCC lesion area determination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristen M. Meiburger
- Biolab, Department of Electronics and TelecommunicationsPolitecnico di TorinoTorinoItaly
| | - Zhe Chen
- Center for Medical Physics and Biomedical EngineeringMedical University of ViennaViennaAustria
| | - Christoph Sinz
- Department of DermatologyMedical University of ViennaViennaAustria
| | | | | | | | - Harald Kittler
- Department of DermatologyMedical University of ViennaViennaAustria
| | - Rainer A. Leitgeb
- Center for Medical Physics and Biomedical EngineeringMedical University of ViennaViennaAustria
| | - Wolfgang Drexler
- Center for Medical Physics and Biomedical EngineeringMedical University of ViennaViennaAustria
| | - Mengyang Liu
- Center for Medical Physics and Biomedical EngineeringMedical University of ViennaViennaAustria
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11
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Liu M, Drexler W. Optical coherence tomography angiography and photoacoustic imaging in dermatology. Photochem Photobiol Sci 2019; 18:945-962. [PMID: 30735220 DOI: 10.1039/c8pp00471d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) is a relatively novel functional extension of the widely accepted ophthalmic imaging tool named optical coherence tomography (OCT). Since OCTA's debut in ophthalmology, researchers have also been trying to expand its translational application in dermatology. The ability of OCTA to resolve microvasculature has shown promising results in imaging skin diseases. Meanwhile, photoacoustic imaging (PAI), which uses laser pulse induced ultrasound waves as the signal, has been studied to differentiate human skin layers and to help in skin disease diagnosis. This perspective article gives a short review of OCTA and PAI in the field of photodermatology. After an introduction to the principles of OCTA and PAI, we describe the most updated results of skin disease imaging using these two optical imaging modalities. We also place emphasis on dual modality imaging combining OCTA and photoacoustic tomography (PAT) for dermatological applications. In the end, the challenges and prospects of these two imaging modalities in dermatology are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mengyang Liu
- Center for Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria.
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12
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Wu Z, Duan F, Zhang J, Li S, Ma H, Nie L. In vivo dual-scale photoacoustic surveillance and assessment of burn healing. BIOMEDICAL OPTICS EXPRESS 2019; 10:3425-3433. [PMID: 31467787 PMCID: PMC6706033 DOI: 10.1364/boe.10.003425] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2019] [Revised: 05/24/2019] [Accepted: 06/09/2019] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
Accurate diagnoses of superficial and deep dermal burns are difficult to make even by experienced investigators due to slight differences in dermis damage. Many imaging technologies have been developed to improve the burn depth assessment. But these imaging tools have limitations in deep imaging or resolving ability. Photoacoustic imaging is a hybrid modality combining optical and ultrasound imaging that remains high resolution in deep imaging depth. In this work, we used dual-scale photoacoustic imaging to noninvasively diagnose burn injury and monitor the burn healing. Real-time PACT provided cross-sectional and volumetric images of the burn region. High-resolution PAM allowed for imaging of angiogenesis on the hyperemic ring. A long-term surveillance was also performed to assess the difference between the two damage degrees of burn injuries. Our proposed method suggests an effective tool to diagnose and monitor burn injury.
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13
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Zhao Q, Lin R, Liu C, Zhao J, Si G, Song L, Meng J. Quantitative analysis on in vivo tumor-microvascular images from optical-resolution photoacoustic microscopy. JOURNAL OF BIOPHOTONICS 2019; 12:e201800421. [PMID: 30734505 DOI: 10.1002/jbio.201800421] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2018] [Revised: 01/08/2019] [Accepted: 02/05/2019] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
Optical-resolution photoacoustic microscopy (OR-PAM) has been shown to be an excellent imaging modality for monitoring and study of tumor microvasculature. However, previous studies focused mainly on the normal tissues and did not quantify the tumor microvasculature. In this study, we present an in vivo OR-PAM imaging of the melanomas and hepatoma implanted in the mouse ear. We quantify the vessel growth by extracting the skeletons of both dense and thin branches of the tumor microvasculature obtained by Hessian matrix enhancement followed by improved two-step multistencils fast marching method. Compared with the previous methods of using OR-PAM for normal tissues, our method was more effective in extracting the binary vascular network in the tumor images and in obtaining the complete and continuous microvascular skeleton maps. Our demonstration of using OR-PAM in improving microvasculature of tumors and quantification of tumor growth would push deep this technology for the early diagnosis and treatment of cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qian Zhao
- School of Information Science and Engineering, Qufu Normal University, Rizhao, China
| | - Riqiang Lin
- Institute of Biomedical and Health Engineering, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, China
| | - Chengbo Liu
- Institute of Biomedical and Health Engineering, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, China
| | - Jingxiu Zhao
- School of Information Science and Engineering, Qufu Normal University, Rizhao, China
| | - Guangtao Si
- School of Information Science and Engineering, Qufu Normal University, Rizhao, China
| | - Liang Song
- Institute of Biomedical and Health Engineering, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, China
| | - Jing Meng
- School of Information Science and Engineering, Qufu Normal University, Rizhao, China
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14
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Panfilova A, Shelton SE, Caresio C, van Sloun RJG, Molinari F, Wijkstra H, Dayton PA, Mischi M. On the Relationship between Dynamic Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound Parameters and the Underlying Vascular Architecture Extracted from Acoustic Angiography. ULTRASOUND IN MEDICINE & BIOLOGY 2019; 45:539-548. [PMID: 30509785 PMCID: PMC6352898 DOI: 10.1016/j.ultrasmedbio.2018.08.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2018] [Revised: 08/22/2018] [Accepted: 08/27/2018] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
Dynamic contrast-enhanced ultrasound (DCE-US) has been proposed as a powerful tool for cancer diagnosis by estimation of perfusion and dispersion parameters reflecting angiogenic vascular changes. This work was aimed at identifying which vascular features are reflected by the estimated perfusion and dispersion parameters through comparison with acoustic angiography (AA). AA is a high-resolution technique that allows quantification of vascular morphology. Three-dimensional AA and 2-D DCE-US bolus acquisitions were used to monitor the growth of fibrosarcoma tumors in nine rats. AA-derived vascular properties were analyzed along with DCE-US perfusion and dispersion to investigate the differences between tumor and control and their evolution in time. AA-derived microvascular density and DCE-US perfusion exhibited good agreement, confirmed by their spatial distributions. No vascular feature was correlated with dispersion. Yet, dispersion provided better cancer classification than perfusion. We therefore hypothesize that dispersion characterizes vessels that are smaller than those visible with AA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anastasiia Panfilova
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Technical University of Eindhoven, Eindhoven, The Netherlands.
| | - Sarah E Shelton
- Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and North Carolina State University, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
| | | | - Ruud J G van Sloun
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Technical University of Eindhoven, Eindhoven, The Netherlands
| | | | - Hessel Wijkstra
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Technical University of Eindhoven, Eindhoven, The Netherlands; Urology Department, AMC University Hospital, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Paul A Dayton
- Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and North Carolina State University, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
| | - Massimo Mischi
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Technical University of Eindhoven, Eindhoven, The Netherlands
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15
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Kang J, Heo S, Hyung WJ, Lim JS, Lee S. 3D Active Vessel Tracking Using an Elliptical Prior. IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON IMAGE PROCESSING : A PUBLICATION OF THE IEEE SIGNAL PROCESSING SOCIETY 2018; 27:5933-5946. [PMID: 30072325 DOI: 10.1109/tip.2018.2862346] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
In this paper, we propose a novel vessel tracking method, called active vessel tracking (AVT). The proposed method retains the major advantages that most 2D segmentation methods have demonstrated for 3D tracking while overcoming the drawbacks of previous 3D vessel tracking methods. Under the assumption that the vessel is cylindrical, thereby making its cross-section elliptical, the AVT finds a plane perpendicular to the vessel axis while tracking the vessel along its length. Also, We propose a method for vessel branch detection to automatically track complete vascular networks from a single starting point, whereas the previously proposed solutions have usually been limited in handling vessel bifurcations precisely on 3D or have required considerable user interaction. Our results show that the method is robust and accurate in both synthetic and clinical cases. In an experiment on synthetic data sets, the proposed method achieved a tracking accuracy of 96.1±0.5, detecting 99.1% of the branches. In an experiment on abdominal CTA data sets, it achieved a tracking accuracy of 98.4±0.5 for six target vessels, detecting 98.3% of the branches. These results show that the proposed method can outperform previous methods for vessel tracking.
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16
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Raumonen P, Tarvainen T. Segmentation of vessel structures from photoacoustic images with reliability assessment. BIOMEDICAL OPTICS EXPRESS 2018; 9:2887-2904. [PMID: 29984073 PMCID: PMC6033551 DOI: 10.1364/boe.9.002887] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2018] [Revised: 05/18/2018] [Accepted: 05/21/2018] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
Photoacoustic imaging enables the imaging of soft biological tissue with combined optical contrast and ultrasound resolution. One of the targets of interest is tissue vasculature. However, the photoacoustic images may not directly provide the information on, for example, vasculature structure. Therefore, the images are improved by reducing noise and artefacts, and processed for better visualisation of the target of interest. In this work, we present a new segmentation method of photoacoustic images that also straightforwardly produces assessments of its reliability. The segmentation depends on parameters which have a natural tendency to increase the reliability as the parameter values monotonically change. The reliability is assessed by counting classifications of image voxels with different parameter values. The resulting segmentation with reliability offers new ways and tools to analyse photoacoustic images and new possibilities for utilising them as anatomical priors in further computations. Our MATLAB implementation of the method is available as an open-source software package [P. Raumonen, Matlab, 2018].
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Affiliation(s)
- Pasi Raumonen
- Laboratory of Mathematics, Tampere University of Technology, PO Box 527, 33101 Tampere,
Finland
| | - Tanja Tarvainen
- Department of Applied Physics, University of Eastern Finland, P.O. Box 1627, 70211 Kuopio,
Finland
- Department of Computer Science, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT,
UK
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17
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Slezak P, Slezak C, Hartinger J, Teuschl AH, Nürnberger S, Redl H, Mittermayr R. A Low Cost Implantation Model in the Rat That Allows a Spatial Assessment of Angiogenesis. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2018; 6:3. [PMID: 29468155 PMCID: PMC5807912 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2018.00003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2017] [Accepted: 01/15/2018] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
There is continual demand for animal models that allow a quantitative assessment of angiogenic properties of biomaterials, therapies, and pharmaceuticals. In its simplest form, this is done by subcutaneous material implantation and subsequent vessel counting which usually omits spatial data. We have refined an implantation model and paired it with a computational analytic routine which outputs not only vessel count but also vessel density, distribution, and vessel penetration depth, that relies on a centric vessel as a reference point. We have successfully validated our model by characterizing the angiogenic potential of a fibrin matrix in conjunction with recombinant human vascular endothelial growth factor (rhVEGF165). The inferior epigastric vascular pedicles of rats were sheathed with silicone tubes, which were subsequently filled with 0.2 ml of fibrin and different doses of rhVEGF165, centrically embedding the vessels. Over 4 weeks, tissue samples were harvested and subsequently immunohistologically stained and computationally analyzed. The model was able to detect variations over the angiogenic potentials of growth factor spiked fibrin matrices. Adding 20 ng of rhVEGF165 resulted in a significant increase in vasculature while 200 ng of rhVEGF165 did not improve vascular growth. Vascularized tissue volume increased during the first week and vascular density increased during the second week. Total vessel count increased significantly and exhibited a peak after 2 weeks which was followed by a resorption of vasculature by week 4. In summary, a simple implantation model to study in vivo vascularization with only a minimal workload attached was enhanced to include morphologic data of the emerging vascular tree.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul Slezak
- Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Experimental and Clinical Traumatology, Vienna, Austria
| | | | - Joachim Hartinger
- Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Experimental and Clinical Traumatology, Vienna, Austria
| | - Andreas Herbert Teuschl
- Department of Biochemical Engineering, University of Applied Sciences Technikum Wien, Vienna, Austria
| | - Sylvia Nürnberger
- Department of Trauma Surgery, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Heinz Redl
- Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Experimental and Clinical Traumatology, Vienna, Austria
| | - Rainer Mittermayr
- Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Experimental and Clinical Traumatology, Vienna, Austria
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18
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Chen Z, Rank E, Meiburger KM, Sinz C, Hodul A, Zhang E, Hoover E, Minneman M, Ensher J, Beard PC, Kittler H, Leitgeb RA, Drexler W, Liu M. Non-invasive multimodal optical coherence and photoacoustic tomography for human skin imaging. Sci Rep 2017; 7:17975. [PMID: 29269886 PMCID: PMC5740114 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-18331-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2017] [Accepted: 12/08/2017] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The cutaneous vasculature is involved in many diseases. Current clinical examination techniques, however, cannot resolve the human vasculature with all plexus in a non-invasive manner. By combining an optical coherence tomography system with angiography extension and an all optical photoacoustic tomography system, we can resolve in 3D the blood vessels in human skin for all plexus non-invasively. With a customized imaging unit that permits access to various parts of patients' bodies, we applied our multimodality imaging system to investigate several different types of skin conditions. Quantitative vascular analysis is given for each of the dermatological conditions to show the potential diagnostic value of our system in non-invasive examination of diseases and physiological processes. Improved performance of our system over its previous generation is also demonstrated with an updated characterization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhe Chen
- Center for Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, Medical University of Vienna, Währinger Gürtel 18-20, AKH 4L, 1090, Vienna, Austria
| | - Elisabet Rank
- Center for Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, Medical University of Vienna, Währinger Gürtel 18-20, AKH 4L, 1090, Vienna, Austria
| | - Kristen M Meiburger
- Dipartimento di Elettronica e Telecomunicazioni, Biolab, Politecnico di Torino, Corso Duca degli Abruzzi 24, 10129, Torino, Italy
| | - Christoph Sinz
- Department of Dermatology, Medical University of Vienna, Währinger Gürtel 18-20, AKH 7J, 1090, Vienna, Austria
| | - Andreas Hodul
- Center for Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, Medical University of Vienna, Währinger Gürtel 18-20, AKH 4L, 1090, Vienna, Austria
| | - Edward Zhang
- Department of Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, University College London, Gower Street, WC1E 6BT, London, UK
| | - Erich Hoover
- Insight Photonic Solutions, Inc., 2650 Crescent Drive, Number 201, Lafayette, CO, 80026, USA
| | - Micheal Minneman
- Insight Photonic Solutions, Inc., 2650 Crescent Drive, Number 201, Lafayette, CO, 80026, USA
| | - Jason Ensher
- Insight Photonic Solutions, Inc., 2650 Crescent Drive, Number 201, Lafayette, CO, 80026, USA
| | - Paul C Beard
- Department of Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, University College London, Gower Street, WC1E 6BT, London, UK
| | - Harald Kittler
- Department of Dermatology, Medical University of Vienna, Währinger Gürtel 18-20, AKH 7J, 1090, Vienna, Austria
| | - Rainer A Leitgeb
- Center for Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, Medical University of Vienna, Währinger Gürtel 18-20, AKH 4L, 1090, Vienna, Austria
| | - Wolfgang Drexler
- Center for Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, Medical University of Vienna, Währinger Gürtel 18-20, AKH 4L, 1090, Vienna, Austria
| | - Mengyang Liu
- Center for Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, Medical University of Vienna, Währinger Gürtel 18-20, AKH 4L, 1090, Vienna, Austria.
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19
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Tomaszewski MR, Gonzalez IQ, O'Connor JPB, Abeyakoon O, Parker GJM, Williams KJ, Gilbert FJ, Bohndiek SE. Oxygen Enhanced Optoacoustic Tomography (OE-OT) Reveals Vascular Dynamics in Murine Models of Prostate Cancer. Theranostics 2017; 7:2900-2913. [PMID: 28824724 PMCID: PMC5562224 DOI: 10.7150/thno.19841] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2017] [Accepted: 05/02/2017] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Poor oxygenation of solid tumours has been linked with resistance to chemo- and radio-therapy and poor patient outcomes, hence non-invasive imaging of oxygen supply and demand in tumours could improve disease staging and therapeutic monitoring. Optoacoustic tomography (OT) is an emerging clinical imaging modality that provides static images of endogenous haemoglobin concentration and oxygenation. Here, we demonstrate oxygen enhanced (OE)-OT, exploiting an oxygen gas challenge to visualise the spatiotemporal heterogeneity of tumour vascular function. We show that tracking oxygenation dynamics using OE-OT reveals significant differences between two prostate cancer models in nude mice with markedly different vascular function (PC3 & LNCaP), which appear identical in static OT. LNCaP tumours showed a spatially heterogeneous response within and between tumours, with a substantial but slow response to the gas challenge, aligned with ex vivo analysis, which revealed a generally perfused and viable tumour with marked areas of haemorrhage. PC3 tumours had a lower fraction of responding pixels compared to LNCaP with a high disparity between rim and core response. While the PC3 core showed little or no dynamic response, the rim showed a rapid change, consistent with our ex vivo findings of hypoxic and necrotic core tissue surrounded by a rim of mature and perfused vasculature. OE-OT metrics are shown to be highly repeatable and correlate directly on a per-tumour basis to tumour vessel function assessed ex vivo. OE-OT provides a non-invasive approach to reveal the complex dynamics of tumour vessel perfusion, permeability and vasoactivity in real time. Our findings indicate that OE-OT holds potential for application in prostate cancer patients, to improve delineation of aggressive and indolent disease as well as in patient stratification for chemo- and radio-therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michal R Tomaszewski
- Department of Physics, University of Cambridge, U.K
- Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute, University of Cambridge, U.K
| | - Isabel Quiros Gonzalez
- Department of Physics, University of Cambridge, U.K
- Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute, University of Cambridge, U.K
| | - James PB O'Connor
- Institute of Cancer Sciences, University of Manchester, U.K
- Department of Radiology, The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, U.K
| | | | - Geoff JM Parker
- Centre for Imaging Sciences, University of Manchester, U.K
- Bioxydyn Limited, Manchester, U.K
| | | | | | - Sarah E Bohndiek
- Department of Physics, University of Cambridge, U.K
- Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute, University of Cambridge, U.K
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