Advancing the technology and applications of surgical fluorescence imaging with targeted fluorochromes

A new concept aiming to improve surgical outcome by providing real-time surgical feedback on tumor margin delineation is presented. We are using a novel multispectral imaging system for real time measurement of fluorescence probes with molecular specificity to tumor biomarkers. Mice bearing xenograft tumors were used to simulate surgical operations of tumor excision guided by real time fluorescence imaging. Bioluminescence imaging and histopathology were used as gold standards to confirm the in-vivo findings. Results demonstrate the capability of the method to identify tumor negative margins with high specificity and provide real time feedback to the surgeon.