About This Webinar
Although surface enhanced resonant Raman scattering (SERRS) nanoparticles (NPs) can be employed as image contrast agents to specifically image cancer tumor cells in vivo, this technique typically requires lengthy point-by-point acquisition of Raman spectra. Traditional Raman spectroscopy is also limited by its inability to probe through tissue thicknesses of more than a few millimeters. Here, the use of spatially offset Raman spectroscopy (SORS) is combined with SERRS in a technique known as surface enhanced spatially offset resonance Raman spectroscopy (SESORRS) to image deep-seated tumors in vivo.
Using a novel sampling frequency methodology, Nicolson reports an experimental SESORRS approach for detecting both the bulk tumor and subsequent high-speed delineation of tumor margins. Moreover, using a SESORRS approach, it is possible to detect secondary, deeper-seated lesions through the intact skull as confirmed by magnetic resonance imaging and H&E staining. Additionally, Nicolson discusses the optimization of SORS instrumentation and subsequent application of SESORRS imaging to Apcfl/+ and Apcfl/+; KrasG12D/+ mouse models of colorectal cancer using a SORS endoscope. This approach enables improvements in the non-invasive detection of glioblastoma and colorectal cancer due to improvements in SNR, spectral resolution, and depth acquisition.
*** This presentation premiered during the
2024 BioPhotonics Conference. For more information on Photonics Media conferences and summits, visit
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About the presenter
Fay Nicolson, Ph.D., obtained her doctorate in chemistry from the University of Strathclyde, UK, in 2018. She joined the Department of Radiology at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center as a postdoctoral research scholar and later transitioned to the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI) and Harvard Medical School as a research fellow in cancer biology. In January 2024, she started as a tenure-track assistant professor in the Division of Radiation Oncology at DFCI. Her lab focuses on developing molecular imaging technologies and radiotheranostic agents for cancer detection, evaluation, and treatment of cancer. Nicolson's research has received recognition through awards and fellowships, including a K99/R00 Pathway to Independence Award from the National Cancer Institute. She is an active member of the World Molecular Imaging Society’s “Women in Molecular Imaging Network” and the Society for Applied Spectroscopy’s “Early Career Interest Group,” where she serves as founding chair.