Non-Invasive Detection of a Small Number of Bioluminescent Cancer Cells In Vivo

• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0009364
• Publication Date: 2010-02-22T18:18:00Z
• Authors: Jae-Beom Kim; Konnie Urban; Edward Cochran; Steve Lee; Angel Ang; Bradley Rice; Adam Bata; Kenneth Campbell; Richard Coffee; Alex Gorodinsky; Zhan Lu; He Zhou; Takashi Kei Kishi...; Peter Lassota
• Keywords: Bioluminescence imaging; Circulating tumor cell

Early detection of tumors can significantly improve the outcome tumor treatment. One most frequently asked questions in cancer imaging is how many cells be detected non-invasively a live animal. Although factors limit such detection, increasing light emission from one effective ways overcoming these limitations. Here, we describe development and utilization lentiviral vector containing enhanced firefly luciferase (luc2) gene. The resulting single cell clones mouse mammary gland (4T1-luc2) showed stable range 10,000 photons/sec/cell. In some cases individual 4T1-luc2 inserted under skin nu/nu could using cooled CCD camera cases. addition, that only few are needed to develop mice progression monitored right after implanted. Significantly higher activity allowed us detect micrometastases both, syngeneic Balb/c mice.