Noninvasive molecular imaging of small living subjects using Raman spectroscopy
- Molecular Imaging Program at Stanford, Departments of Radiology and Bioengineering, Bio-X Program, Stanford University, 1201 Welch Road, Stanford, CA 94305-5484
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Edited by Michael E. Phelps, University of California, Los Angeles School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA, and approved February 5, 2008 (received for review November 7, 2007)
Abstract
Molecular imaging of living subjects continues to rapidly evolve with bioluminescence and fluorescence strategies, in particular being frequently used for small-animal models. This article presents noninvasive deep-tissue molecular images in a living subject with the use of Raman spectroscopy. We describe a strategy for small-animal optical imaging based on Raman spectroscopy and Raman nanoparticles. Surface-enhanced Raman scattering nanoparticles and single-wall carbon nanotubes were used to demonstrate whole-body Raman imaging, nanoparticle pharmacokinetics, multiplexing, and in vivo tumor targeting, using an imaging system adapted for small-animal Raman imaging. The imaging modality reported here holds significant potential as a strategy for biomedical imaging of living subjects.
Footnotes
- *To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: sgambhir{at}stanford.edu
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Author contributions: S.K. and C.Z. contributed equally to this work; S.K., C.Z., and S.S.G. designed research; S.K., C.Z., Z.C., A.d.l.Z., and O.G. performed research; C.Z. analyzed data; and S.K., C.L.Z., and S.S.G. wrote the paper.
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The authors declare no conflict of interest.
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This article is a PNAS Direct Submission.
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This article contains supporting information online at www.pnas.org/cgi/content/full/0710575105/DCSupplemental.
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Freely available online through the PNAS open access option.
- © 2008 by The National Academy of Sciences of the USA
