Open AccessFeasibility study of brain tumor delineation using immunolabeled gold nanorods
Author(s) -
Kevin Seekell,
Spencer Lewis,
Christy Wilson,
Shuqin Li,
Gerald A. Grant,
Adam Wax
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
biomedical optics express
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.362
H-Index - 86
ISSN - 2156-7085
DOI - 10.1364/boe.4.002284
Subject(s) - glioblastoma , brain tumor , pathology , epidermal growth factor receptor , biomedical engineering , brain tissue , medicine , cancer research , cancer
Effective treatment of patients with malignant brain tumors requires surgical resection of a high percentage of the bulk tumor. Surgeons require a method that enables delineation of tumor margins, which are not visually distinct by eye. In this study, the feasibility of using gold nanorods (GNRs) for this purpose is evaluated. Anti-Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (anti-EGFR) conjugated GNRs are used to label human xenograft glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) tumors embedded within slices of brain tissues from healthy nude mice. The anti-EGFR GNRs exhibit enhanced absorption at red to near-infrared wavelengths, often referred to as the tissue optical window, where absorption from blood is minimal. To enable definition of molecular specificity and spatial accuracy of the label, the GNR absorption is compared with GFP fluorescence which is expressed by the GBM cells used here. This work demonstrates a simple but highly translational technique to classify normal and malignant brain tissue regions in open surgery applications using immunolabeled GNR contrast agents.