In this study, we developed and applied highly-scattering large gold nanorods (LGNRs) and custom spectral detection algorithms for high sensitivity contrast-enhanced optical coherence tomography (OCT). We were able to detect LGNRs at a concentration as low as 50 pM in blood. We used this approach for noninvasive 3D imaging of blood vessels deep in solid tumors in living mice. Additionally, we demonstrated multiplexed imaging of spectrally-distinct LGNRs that enabled observations of functional drainage in lymphatic networks. This method, which we call MOZART, provides a platform for molecular imaging and characterization of tissue noninvasively at cellular resolution.

Date Published: 17 February 2017
PDF: 10 pages
Proc. SPIE 10053, Optical Coherence Tomography and Coherence Domain Optical Methods in Biomedicine XXI, 100531D (17 February 2017); doi: 10.1117/12.2248258

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 10053:
Optical Coherence Tomography and Coherence Domain Optical Methods in Biomedicine XXI
James G. Fujimoto; Joseph A. Izatt; Valery V. Tuchin, Editor(s)