Estrogen induced proliferation of mutant cells is widely understood to be the one of major risk
determining factor in the development of breast cancer. Hence determination of the Estrogen
Receptor[ER] status is of paramount importance if cancer pathogenesis is to be detected and rectified
at an early stage. Near Infrared Fluorescence [NIRf] Molecular Optical Imaging is emerging as a
powerful tool to monitor bio-molecular changes in living subjects. We discuss pre-clinical results in
our efforts to develop an optical imaging diagnostic modality for the early detection of breast cancer.
We have successfully carried out the synthesis and characterization of a novel target-specific NIRf
dye conjugate aimed at measuring Estrogen Receptor[ER] status. The conjugate was synthesized by
ester formation between 17-β estradiol and a hydrophilic derivative of Indocyanine Green (ICG)
cyanine dye, bis-1,1-(4-sulfobutyl) indotricarbocyanine-5-carboxylic acid, sodium salt. In-vitro
studies regarding specific binding and endocytocis of the dye performed on ER+ve [MCF-7] and
control [MDA-MB-231] adenocarcinoma breast cancer cell lines clearly indicated nuclear
localization of the dye for MCF-7 as compared to plasma level staining for MDA-MB-231.
Furthermore, MCF-7 cells showed ~4.5-fold increase in fluorescence signal intensity compared to
MDA-MB-231. A 3-D mesh model mimicking the human breast placed in a parallel-plate DOT
Scanner is created to examine the in-vivo efficacy of the dye before proceeding with clinical trials.
Photon migration and florescence flux intensity is modeled using the finite-element method with the
coefficients (quantum yield, molar extinction co-efficient etc.) pertaining to the dye as obtained from
photo-physical and in-vitro studies. We conclude by stating that this lipophilic dye can be potentially
used as a target specific exogenous contrast agent in molecular optical imaging for early detection of
breast cancer.
Access to the requested content is limited to institutions that have purchased or subscribe to SPIE eBooks.
You are receiving this notice because your organization may not have SPIE eBooks access.*
*Shibboleth/Open Athens users─please
sign in
to access your institution's subscriptions.
To obtain this item, you may purchase the complete book in print or electronic format on
SPIE.org.
INSTITUTIONAL Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.
PERSONAL Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.