In vivo PET/MRI Imaging of the Chorioallantoic Membrane

Gordon Winter,Alireza Abaei,Mika Lindén,Volker Rasche,Andrea B F Koch,Jessica Löffler,Ambros J Beer,Hao Li,Fedor Jelezko,Zhi Zuo

doi:10.3389/fphy.2020.00151

Abstract

The Hen's Egg Test Chorioallantoic-Membrane (HET-CAM) of fertilized chick eggs represents a unique model for biomedical research. With its steadily increasing use, non-invasive in ovo imaging for longitudinal direct quantification of the biodistribution of compounds or monitoring of surrogate markers has been introduced. The full range of imaging methods have been applied to the HET-CAM model. From the current perspective, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), providing detailed anatomical and functional data, and Positron Emission Tomography (PET), providing excellent sensitivity, must be considered the most promising candidates for HET-CAM imaging. Especially by combining both techniques, the required sensitivity and anatomical localization of the signal source renders feasible. In the following a review of recent applications of MRI and PET for in ovo imaging with a special focus on techniques for imaging xenotransplanted tumors on the CAM will be provided.

Highlights

The Hen’s Egg Test Chorioallantoic-Membrane (HET-chorioallantoic membrane (CAM)) of fertilized chicken eggs represents a unique model for biomedical research
The Hen’s Egg Test Chorioallantoic Membrane (HET-CAM) model has been exerted to numerous applications
There is a consensus in the scientific community that it is illogical to conclude that the neural capacity to experience pain is not fully developed prior to hatching and that beyond a critical point in development avian embryos are capable of experiencing pain

Summary

Introduction

The Hen’s Egg Test Chorioallantoic-Membrane (HET-CAM) of fertilized chicken eggs represents a unique model for biomedical research. With the recent advances in magnetic resonance tomography (MRI) its application to in ovo imaging has rendered feasible and many applications of the technique in the live embryo as well as after sacrification have been reported for different scientific fields, including embryonal development [47,48,49,50,51,52,53,54], ophthalmology [48,49,50,51,52,53,54,55,56,57], oncology [58,59,60,61,62,63], metabolic assessment [54, 64], and initial testing of the biodistribution of new compounds [65,66,67].

Results

Conclusion