In Vivo Fluorescence Imaging and Tomography Methods to Quantify Metastatic Burden in Lymph Nodes
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IN VIVO FLUORESCENCE IMAGING AND TOMOGRAPHY METHODS TO QUANTIFY METASTATIC BURDEN IN LYMPH NODES A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy by ALISHA VIOLA DSOUZA Thayer School of Engineering Dartmouth College Hanover, New Hampshire May 2016 Examining Committee: Chairman_______________________ Brian W. Pogue, Ph.D. Member________________________ Kimberley S. Samkoe, Ph.D. Member________________________ Scott C. Davis, Ph.D. Member________________________ Kenneth M. Tichauer, Ph.D. ___________________ F. Jon Kull Dean of Graduate Studies Abstract Morbidity and complexity involved in lymph node staging via surgical resection and biopsy could ideally be overcome using node assay techniques that are non-invasive. Visible blue dyes, fluorophores and radio-tracers are often used to locate the sentinel lymph nodes from draining lymphatic vessels near a tumor, but they only rarely provide an in situ metric to evaluate the presence of cancer. As such, imaging systems that are quantitative and sensitive to surface- and subsurface-fluorescence could provide a radiation-free, less invasive alternative to existing approaches, and have the potential to perform both node mapping and metastasis sensing. Issues of non-specific uptake, and high delivery variability complicate imaging of single tracers in a lymph node. To overcome these problems, ratiometric schemes using multiple fluorescent tracers along with modeling techniques to estimate cancer biomarkers have recently been demonstrated. In this approach, quantitative estimates of the cancer burden are attainable using micro-doses of fluorescence-labeled tracers targeted to cancer-specific receptors, thus providing high specificity in studying cancer progression and metastasis. In this work, an extensive review of commercial fluorescence imagers and their capabilities led to some unique directions in sensing of lymph nodes with alternative hardware and image processing methods. A previously designed high-frequency ultrasound-guided fluorescence tomography system was upgraded to enable multi-spectral capabilities with large source-detector spacing, to allow subsurface measurements, and the ability to spectrally decouple autofluorescence and signals from multiple fluorophores. Along with tomography, we used planar fluorescence imaging methods to image lymph nodes and lymphatic vessels to quantitatively study lymphatic uptake, flow variation, and lymphatic system changes with tumor progression. In particular, imaging the lymphatic flow in the lymph vessels relative to the uptake in the nodes provided a unique methodology to quantify ii tumor burden. On the other hand, the value of targeted agents in lymphatic imaging appears to be sensitive to the location and method of delivery, and as such it was found that internal tissue normalization methods were more robust with non-specific fluorophores. Murine models of nodal involvement of metastases, and design of real-time fluorescence imaging tools were combined to propose the most constructive approach to non-invasive quantification of tumor burden in lymph nodes for future clinical implementation. iii Dedication To my parents Archibald and Freeda D’Souza, who have through their unconditional love, support, and guidance, enabled this and all my accomplishments. iv Acknowledgements This thesis work is the combined effort of several individuals, to whom I am truly grateful. Prof. Brian Pogue, my mentor and advisor at Thayer, has always been enthusiastic, and supportive of independent research whilst steering me towards new and exciting project directions. His farsighted vision, combined with his trustfulness of my pursuits and patience encouraged me to step out of my comfort zone, and undertake a variety of projects early on. He always made time to discuss even the smallest of problems, and silliest of question, without ever trivializing them. I have had the good fortune of working in an intellectually rich and highly collaborative research environment at Dartmouth; the various leaders and members of the Optics in Medicine lab have always been a resource for solving any problems big or small. Drs. Jonathan Elliott, Kimberley Samkoe, Ken Tichauer, Brendan Flynn, Chad Kanick, and Scott Davis, were people I knew I could go to when I got into trouble, or needed advice on failing experiments, or simply needed to plan ahead, and they were always willing to spend time explaining things ranging from basic principles to abstract concepts. Special thanks to Jason and Kayla for holding my hand through biology experiments, and facilitating my explorations. I’d also like to thank the various postdocs and students in my group who helped me throughout my time here, through useful discussions mixed with a bit of fun, it’s been a pleasure working alongside all of you. Special thanks to Sally and Kathy, they work tirelessly to ensure that the rest of group can function productively. v Most importantly, I’d like to thank God for the countless blessings, and my family, without their support this work would not have been possible. I’d like to express my sincerest gratitude to my parents, who have selflessly supported my academic and creative endeavors all through the 27 years of my existence; they’ve been my inspiration, encouragement, and guiding light. To my siblings Adora, and Fayne, thank you for being you, and keeping the child in me young, I hope that this work will inspire you to follow your dreams and succeed in your own intellectual pursuits. Finally, I’d like to thank my husband, my best friend, Shadab, whose boundless love continues to motivate all aspects of my being. Thank you for being with me through thick and thin. vi Table of Contents ABSTRACT .............................................................................................................. II DEDICATION ............................................................................................................... IV ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ...................................................................................................... V TABLE OF CONTENTS ...................................................................................................... VII LIST OF TABLES ........................................................................................................... XIV LIST OF FIGURES ............................................................................................................. XV LIST OF ACRONYMS ...................................................................................................... XXIII CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................... 1 1.1 RATIONALE .......................................................................................................... 1 1.2 CURRENT STATE-OF-THE-ART FOR NODE MAPPING AND STAGING ............ 4 1.2.1 Clinical gold-standard: Lymphoscintigraphy and sentinel node dissection .......................... 4 1.2.2 Ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) ............................................. 6 1.2.3 Structural imaging: Computed Tomography (CT) and Magnetic-resonance imaging (MRI) ..................................................................................................................................... 7 1.2.4 FDG-PET and FDG-PET/CT or MRI imaging ....................................................... 8 1.2.5 Fluorescence Imaging Methods ........................................................................................ 9 1.2.6 Molecular Imaging approaches ..................................................................................... 11 1.3 THESIS OUTLINE ............................................................................................... 12 CHAPTER 2 BACKGROUND ............................................................................................. 15 2.1 PHOTON-TISSUE INTERACTION ..................................................................... 15 2.1.1 Tissue Absorption ....................................................................................................... 17 vii 2.1.2 Tissue Scattering ......................................................................................................... 18 2.1.3 Fluorescence ................................................................................................................. 19 2.1.4 Cherenkov Emission ................................................................................................... 21 2.1.5 Modeling fluorescence and light transport in biological tissue .......................................... 22 2.2 IN VIVO FLUORESCENCE IMAGING AND TOMOGRAPHY ........................... 25 2.3 PHYSIOLOGY OF THE LYMPHATIC SYSTEM ................................................... 27 2.3.1 Organizational constituents of the Lymphatic System and their functions ...................... 28 CHAPTER 3 FLUORESCENCE IMAGING SYSTEMS FOR OPEN-FIELD HUMAN IMAGING ...................................................................................... 33 3.1 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................. 33 3.2 SYSTEM USES & FEATURE GOALS .................................................................. 40 3.3 IMAGING SYSTEM COMPONENTS AND INSTRUMENTATION ...................... 42 3.3.1 Excitation light source ................................................................................................