Abstract
Fluorescent proteins enable in vivo characterization of a wide and growing array of morphological and functional biomarkers. To fully capitalize on the spatial and temporal information afforded by these reporter proteins, a method for imaging these proteins at high resolution longitudinally is required. This chapter describes the use of window chamber models as a means of imaging fluorescent proteins and other optical parameters. Such models essentially involve surgically implanting a window through which tumor or normal tissue can be imaged using existing microscopy techniques. This enables acquisition of high-quality images down to the cellular or subcellular scale, exploiting the diverse array of optical contrast mechanisms, while also maintaining the native microenvironment of the tissue of interest. This makes these techniques applicable to a wide array of problems in the biomedical sciences.
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Acknowledgments
We would like to acknowledge Katherine Hansen who assisted with the technical details of the surgical procedures. We would also like to acknowledge funding from the Department of Defense Breast Cancer Research Program (grant number W81XWH-07-1-0355) and the National Institutes of Health (grant number R01 - CA40355-26).
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Palmer, G.M., Fontanella, A.N., Shan, S., Dewhirst, M.W. (2012). High-Resolution In Vivo Imaging of Fluorescent Proteins Using Window Chamber Models. In: Hoffman, R. (eds) In Vivo Cellular Imaging Using Fluorescent Proteins. Methods in Molecular Biology, vol 872. Humana Press, Totowa, NJ. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-61779-797-2_3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-61779-797-2_3
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