In vivo optical imaging of cancer cell function and tumor microenvironment

Abstract

In vivo optical imaging using fluorescence and bioluminescence is superior to other methods in terms of spatio-temporal resolution and specificity, and represents a new technology for comprehensively studying living organisms in a less invasive manner. Nowadays, it is an indispensable technology for studying many aspects of cancer biology, including dynamic invasion and metastasis. In observations of fluorescence or bioluminescence signals in a living body, various problems were caused by optical characteristics such as absorption and scattering, and therefore observation of deep tissue portion was difficult. Recent developments in techniques for observation of the deep tissues of living animals overcome this difficulty by improving bioluminescent proteins, fluorescent proteins, and fluorescent dyes, as well as detection technologies such as two-photon excitation microscopy. In this review, we introduce these technological developments and in vivo application of bioluminescence and fluorescence imaging, and discuss future perspectives on the use of in vivo optical imaging technology in cancer research.

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