Advancing enhanced imaging tools for better cardio diagnostics
Multi-spectral opto-acoustic tomography (MSOT) is a biomedical imaging tool that combines molecular sensitivity, penetration depth and resolution unparalleled in comparison to other existing imaging modalities. However, MSOT requires a long acquisition time and is also limited by difficulties in quantifying the images it produces. The 'Quantitative real-time multi-spectral optoacoustic tomography' (MSOT) project has set out to design and apply a new MSOT system for molecular imaging of the cardiovascular system. The EU-funded project aims to develop reconstruction algorithms that will enhance quantitative, high-resolution real-time MSOT techniques. These will be used for in vivo molecular imaging in entire animals and, ultimately, in humans. Researchers have designed and produced a fibre light-delivery system for near-infrared-fluorescencet (NIRF) imaging; they have and already used it in imaging studies of for cardiovascular inflammatory diseases, such as atherosclerosis. The results are advancing efforts to assess the sensitivity needed for an acoustic detector to conduct intravascular MSOT for imaging inflammatory processes. Mechanical designs have been tested for the fibre catheter, which is reported to be a robust system with smooth rotation and translation characteristics. Project partners have developed a new algorithm for opto-acoustic image reconstruction: interpolated -model-matrix inversion (IMMI). This has already shown produced successful results — through ex vivo in mice and in vivo for imaging zebrafish tests. The multidisciplinary research approach continues to work to develop the technological maturity of MSOT for advanced biological research and improved medical diagnosis.
