Simultaneous morphology and molecular imaging of colon cancer

The objective of this study is to investigate the feasibility of imaging colon cancers using multi-modal optical imaging system combining optical coherence tomography (OCT) and fluorescence molecular imaging (FMI). This system enables simultaneous imaging of tissue morphology and molecular information at high resolution (10–20 μm) over a 3–5 mm field-of-view. OCT reveals the microstructures of normal colon and colon polyps, and the information is confirmed by the corresponding histology. FMI shows uptake of glycoprotein targeting contrast agents. The locations of high fluorescence intensity correspond with the characteristic morphological features of polyps revealed by the co-registered OCT imaging. Our results suggest that multi-modal optical imaging with OCT and fluorescence imaging holds strong potentials for molecular imaging and in situ characterization of colon cancers.