Combining optical coherence tomography with fluorescence molecular imaging: towards simultaneous morphology and molecular imaging

Abstract

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) provides high-resolution, cross-sectional imaging of tissue microstructure in situ and in real-time, while fluorescence molecular imaging (FMI) enables the visualization of basic molecular processes. There are great interests in combining these two modalities so that the tissue's structural and molecular information can be obtained simultaneously. This could greatly benefit biomedical applications such as detecting early diseases and monitoring therapeutic interventions. In this research, a new optical system that combines OCT and FMI was developed. The system demonstrated that it could co-register en face OCT and FMI images with a 2.4 x 2.4 mm field of view. The transverse resolutions of OCT and FMI of the system are both 10 μm. Capillary tubes filled with Cy 5.5 fluorescent dye in different concentrations (750nM to 24μM) under a scattering medium (1% - 2% intralipid) are used as the phantom. En face OCT images of the phantoms were obtained and successfully co-registered with FMI images that were acquired simultaneously. A linear relationship between FMI intensity and dye concentration was observed. The relationship between FMI intensity and target fluorescence tube depth measured by OCT images was also observed and compared with theoretical modeling. This relationship could help in correcting reconstructed dye concentration. Imaging of colon polyps of APCmin mouse model is presented as an example of biological applications of this co-registered OCT/FMI system. In conclusion, a co-registering OCT and FMI imaging system has been demonstrated. The system enables simultaneous visualization of tissue morphology and molecular information at high resolutions over a 2-3 mm field-of-view.