Photoacoustic Molecular Imaging and Its Biomedical Applications

The expression of cancer-specific biomolecules by a tumor is dynamic in time, space, and may depend on the physiological environment the cells are in. Hence, in order to truly study cancer biology at the molecular level, it is important to visualize these biomolecules in living subjects – their most natural environment.
 
In this talk, I will show how we utilize the 'photoacoustic effect' - the conversion of short light pulses into ultrasound waves, for performing highly sensitive disease detection in a living body. By measuring the ultrasound waves emanating from the body, one can create a detailed 3D image of the blood vessels structure, oxygen saturation levels, and track external contrast agent molecules as they target diseased tissues such as cancer. I will present our experimental photoacoustic imaging system, the customized nanoparticle imaging agents we synthesized, and review a number of in vivo molecular assays we performed using this technology in cancer. Finally, I will present our work on a multi-modality nanoparticle technology that can visualize and guide the resection of a brain tumor along its true margins, including the tumor's finger-like protrusions that extend into the healthy brain.