This award is issued in response to Notice OD-09-060, Recovery Act Administrative Supplements Providing Summer Research Experiences for Students and Science Educators. Diagnostic imaging of early stage breast cancer is essential for decreasing the death rate caused by cancer in the United States. Near-infrared (NIR) optical imaging using external fluorescence contrast agents is an emerging non-invasive modality that can become an important tool in the diagnosis of early-stage breast cancer and prognosis of the disease. To date, most of the work in fluorescence-enhanced optical tomographic imaging is carried out using: (i) small volume phantom or in-vivo animal models that lack clinically relevant depth information; (ii) non-flexible optical probes that are restricted to image only specific tissue volumes or shapes; or (iii) measurement geometries that interrogate limited tissue volumes. In the current application, we propose to develop a hand-held optical fiber probe (~ 2' diameter) to perform fluorescence imaging of breast cancer using large tissue phantoms and in-vitro tissue models. The hand- held optical probe will be unique in terms of its: (i) flexibility to image any tissue shape and volume; (ii) non- compressibility, portability, and patient comfort due to its hand-held based design; and (iii) novel measurement geometry that can interrogate greater tissue volumes with reduced imaging time. The developmental aims are to: (i) design and construction of a hand-held optical with optimal fiber configuration for simultaneous NIR light illumination and collection measurement geometry; (ii) develop and optimize a rapid data acquiring frequency-domain intensified charge coupled device (ICCD) detection system; (iii) perform fluorescence-enhanced absorption imaging studies using tissue-mimicking phantoms and in-vitro tissue samples and assess the precision and accuracy of the fluorescence measurements; and (iv) integrate an undergraduate student with current research at various stages of the proposed work. The milestone of the proposed work is to develop a hand-held optical-based imagerthat is robust, rapid, flexible, non- compressible, comfortable, portable, and applicable for any given breast volume and shape, that is expected to render high-resolution diagnostic and prognostic breast cancer imaging in the clinic.
