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Optical Molecular Imaging in Cancer Research and Diagnosis
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Optical Molecular Imaging in Cancer Research and Diagnosis

A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Oncology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2024) | Viewed by 6838

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Vladislav I. Shcheslavskiy

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Becker & Hickl GmbH, Berlin, Germany
Interests: optical imaging; molecular imaging; optical coherence tomography; diffuse optical imaging; fluorescence lifetime imaging; photoacoustic imaging; Raman and vibrational microscopy; multiphoton microscopy; confocal microscopy; endoscopy
Dr. Riccardo Cicchi

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. National Institute of Optics National Research Council (CNR-INO), Largo Fermi 6, 50125 Firenze, Italy
2. European Laboratory for Non-Linear Spectroscopy (LENS), 50019 Zona Osmannoro, Italy
Interests: biomedical imaging and spectroscopy; tissue biomechanics; nanosensing
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Konstantin Yashin

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Oncology and Neurosurgery, University Clinic, Privolzhsky Research Medical University, Minina and Pozharskogo Sq. 10/1, Nizhny Novgorod, Russia
Interests: neuro-oncology; optical coherence tomography; fluorescence lifetime imaging

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Worldwide, mortality rates due to cancer continue to rise; therefore, early cancer diagnostics and frequent treatment follow up is of vital importance. One of the appropriate approaches to aid in the early detection of the disease is to use optical molecular imaging techniques, as they can offer both high spatial and temporal resolution. The advantage of optical molecular imaging techniques compared to conventional medical imaging approaches such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), positron emission tomography (PET), or computed tomography (CT), is that they can provide a more comprehensive understanding of cancer biology at the molecular level; moreover, they are minimally invasive, fast, and cost-effective. In addition, optical molecular imaging allows for the detection and visualization of cancer cells and their microenvironment with high sensitivity and specificity and can provide valuable information about the tumor heterogeneity, angiogenesis, and response to treatment, which can aid in the development of personalized cancer therapies.

This Special Issue, “Optical Molecular Imaging in Cancer Research and Diagnosis”, welcomes original research and review articles in the field of applications of molecular imaging in cancer research with a focus on: Raman spectroscopy and microscopy, coherent vibrational microscopy, nonlinear optical microscopy, fluorescence lifetime imaging, optical coherence tomography (OCT) and optical coherence microscopy (OCM), photoacoustic imaging combined with molecular specific techniques, and multimodal imaging combining non-optical established techniques such as CT, MRI, PET, and ultrasound imaging with optical molecular imaging techniques. Articles on the development and validation of novel molecular imaging probes and contrast agents for cancer detection and treatment monitoring are also welcome.

Dr. Vladislav I. Shcheslavskiy
Dr. Riccardo Cicchi
Dr. Konstantin Yashin
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. There is an Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal. For details about the APC please see here. Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • molecular imaging
  • optical imaging
  • spectroscopy
  • tumor diagnostics
  • biomarker recognition
  • fluorescence lifetime imaging
  • Raman and vibrational microscopy
  • molecular imaging probes
  • contrast agents

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 15816 KiB  
Article
Tissue Elasticity as a Diagnostic Marker of Molecular Mutations in Morphologically Heterogeneous Colorectal Cancer
by Anton A. Plekhanov, Dmitry S. Kozlov, Anastasia A. Shepeleva, Elena B. Kiseleva, Liubov E. Shimolina, Irina N. Druzhkova, Maria A. Plekhanova, Maria M. Karabut, Ekaterina V. Gubarkova, Alena I. Gavrina, Dmitry P. Krylov, Alexander A. Sovetsky, Sergey V. Gamayunov, Daria S. Kuznetsova, Vladimir Y. Zaitsev, Marina A. Sirotkina and Natalia D. Gladkova
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(10), 5337; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25105337 - 14 May 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1315
Abstract
The presence of molecular mutations in colorectal cancer (CRC) is a decisive factor in selecting the most effective first-line therapy. However, molecular analysis is routinely performed only in a limited number of patients with remote metastases. We propose to use tissue stiffness as [...] Read more.
The presence of molecular mutations in colorectal cancer (CRC) is a decisive factor in selecting the most effective first-line therapy. However, molecular analysis is routinely performed only in a limited number of patients with remote metastases. We propose to use tissue stiffness as a marker of the presence of molecular mutations in CRC samples. For this purpose, we applied compression optical coherence elastography (C-OCE) to calculate stiffness values in regions corresponding to specific CRC morphological patterns (n = 54). In parallel to estimating stiffness, molecular analysis from the same zones was performed to establish their relationships. As a result, a high correlation between the presence of KRAS/NRAS/BRAF driver mutations and high stiffness values was revealed regardless of CRC morphological pattern type. Further, we proposed threshold stiffness values for label-free targeted detection of molecular alterations in CRC tissues: for KRAS, NRAS, or BRAF driver mutation—above 803 kPa (sensitivity—91%; specificity—80%; diagnostic accuracy—85%), and only for KRAS driver mutation—above 850 kPa (sensitivity—90%; specificity—88%; diagnostic accuracy—89%). To conclude, C-OCE estimation of tissue stiffness can be used as a clinical diagnostic tool for preliminary screening of genetic burden in CRC tissues. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Optical Molecular Imaging in Cancer Research and Diagnosis)
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17 pages, 3249 KiB  
Article
Effects of Photodynamic Therapy on Tumor Metabolism and Oxygenation Revealed by Fluorescence and Phosphorescence Lifetime Imaging
by Marina V. Shirmanova, Maria M. Lukina, Marina A. Sirotkina, Liubov E. Shimolina, Varvara V. Dudenkova, Nadezhda I. Ignatova, Seiji Tobita, Vladislav I. Shcheslavskiy and Elena V. Zagaynova
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(3), 1703; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25031703 - 30 Jan 2024
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1678
Abstract
This work was aimed at the complex analysis of the metabolic and oxygen statuses of tumors in vivo after photodynamic therapy (PDT). Studies were conducted on mouse tumor model using two types of photosensitizers—chlorin e6-based drug Photoditazine predominantly targeted to the vasculature and [...] Read more.
This work was aimed at the complex analysis of the metabolic and oxygen statuses of tumors in vivo after photodynamic therapy (PDT). Studies were conducted on mouse tumor model using two types of photosensitizers—chlorin e6-based drug Photoditazine predominantly targeted to the vasculature and genetically encoded photosensitizer KillerRed targeted to the chromatin. Metabolism of tumor cells was assessed by the fluorescence lifetime of the metabolic redox-cofactor NAD(P)H, using fluorescence lifetime imaging. Oxygen content was assessed using phosphorescence lifetime macro-imaging with an oxygen-sensitive probe. For visualization of the perfused microvasculature, an optical coherence tomography-based angiography was used. It was found that PDT induces different alterations in cellular metabolism, depending on the degree of oxygen depletion. Moderate decrease in oxygen in the case of KillerRed was accompanied by an increase in the fraction of free NAD(P)H, an indicator of glycolytic switch, early after the treatment. Severe hypoxia after PDT with Photoditazine resulted from a vascular shutdown yielded in a persistent increase in protein-bound (mitochondrial) fraction of NAD(P)H. These findings improve our understanding of physiological mechanisms of PDT in cellular and vascular modes and can be useful to develop new approaches to monitoring its efficacy. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Optical Molecular Imaging in Cancer Research and Diagnosis)
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18 pages, 2811 KiB  
Article
Monitoring the Intracellular pH and Metabolic State of Cancer Cells in Response to Chemotherapy Using a Combination of Phosphorescence Lifetime Imaging Microscopy and Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging Microscopy
by Irina Druzhkova, Anastasiya Komarova, Elena Nikonova, Vadim Baigildin, Artem Mozherov, Yuliya Shakirova, Uliana Lisitsa, Vladislav Shcheslavskiy, Nadezhda Ignatova, Evgeny Shirshin, Marina Shirmanova and Sergey Tunik
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(1), 49; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25010049 - 19 Dec 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1940
Abstract
The extracellular matrix (ECM), in which collagen is the most abundant protein, impacts many aspects of tumor physiology, including cellular metabolism and intracellular pH (pHi), as well as the efficacy of chemotherapy. Meanwhile, the role of collagen in differential cell responses to treatment [...] Read more.
The extracellular matrix (ECM), in which collagen is the most abundant protein, impacts many aspects of tumor physiology, including cellular metabolism and intracellular pH (pHi), as well as the efficacy of chemotherapy. Meanwhile, the role of collagen in differential cell responses to treatment within heterogeneous tumor environments remains poorly investigated. In the present study, we simultaneously monitored the changes in pHi and metabolism in living colorectal cancer cells in vitro upon treatment with a chemotherapeutic combination, FOLFOX (5-fluorouracil, oxaliplatin and leucovorin). The pHi was followed using the new pH-sensitive probe BC-Ga-Ir, working in the mode of phosphorescence lifetime imaging (PLIM), and metabolism was assessed from the autofluorescence of the metabolic cofactor NAD(P)H using fluorescence lifetime imaging (FLIM) with a two-photon laser scanning microscope. To model the ECM, 3D collagen-based hydrogels were used, and comparisons with conventional monolayer cells were made. It was found that FOLFOX treatment caused an early temporal intracellular acidification (reduction in pHi), followed by a shift to more alkaline values, and changed cellular metabolism to a more oxidative state. The presence of unstructured collagen markedly reduced the cytotoxic effects of FOLFOX, and delayed and diminished the pHi and metabolic responses. These results support the observation that collagen is a factor in the heterogeneous response of cancer cells to chemotherapy and a powerful regulator of their metabolic behavior. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Optical Molecular Imaging in Cancer Research and Diagnosis)
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18 pages, 6191 KiB  
Article
The Effect of Diabetes Mellitus Type 1 on the Energy Metabolism of Hepatocytes: Multiphoton Microscopy and Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging
by Svetlana Rodimova, Nikolai Bobrov, Artem Mozherov, Vadim Elagin, Maria Karabut, Polina Ermakova, Ilya Shchechkin, Dmitry Kozlov, Dmitry Krylov, Alena Gavrina, Aleksandra Kashina, Vladimir Zagainov, Elena Zagaynova and Daria Kuznetsova
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(23), 17016; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms242317016 - 30 Nov 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1192
Abstract
A decrease in the regenerative potential of the liver during the development of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), which is observed in the vast majority of patients with diabetes mellitus type 1, significantly increases the risk of postoperative liver failure. In this regard, [...] Read more.
A decrease in the regenerative potential of the liver during the development of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), which is observed in the vast majority of patients with diabetes mellitus type 1, significantly increases the risk of postoperative liver failure. In this regard, it is necessary to develop new approaches for the rapid intraoperative assessment of the condition of liver tissue in the presence of concomitant liver pathology. A modern label-free approach based on multiphoton microscopy, second harmonic generation (SHG), and fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM) allow for the evaluation of the structure of liver tissue as well as the assessment of the metabolic state of hepatocytes, even at the cellular level. We obtained optical criteria and identified specific changes in the metabolic state of hepatocytes for a reduced liver regenerative potential in the presence of induced diabetes mellitus type 1. The obtained criteria will expand the possibilities for the express assessment of the structural and functional state of liver tissue in clinical practice. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Optical Molecular Imaging in Cancer Research and Diagnosis)
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