Our laboratory has been developing for several years endoscopic technology to image mouse models of colon cancer in vivo. Mouse models are an invaluable tool in determining the biochemical pathways of carcinogenesis, as well as the role of gene mutations, diet, exercise, and chemopreventive/ therapeutic drugs. They have also facilitated the development of imaging technology. Our initial endoscopic systems were based on ultrahigh resolution optical coherence tomography (OCT) [1] or combined OCT with laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) of endogenous fluorophores. [2]. With these devices we were able to visualize disease development in mice with time-serial imaging, and show that the combination of OCT with LIF can provide outstanding sensitivity and specificity for adenoma [3,4].
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