Phase-resolved magnetomotive OCT for imaging nanomolar concentrations of magnetic nanoparticles in tissues

Magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) are increasingly important in magnetic resonance and biomedical optical imaging. We describe a method for imaging MNPs by detecting nanoscale displacements using a phaseresolved spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (OCT) system. Biological tissues and phantoms are exposed to ∼800 G magnetic fields modulated at 56 and 100 Hz to mechanically actuate embedded iron oxide MNPs (∼20 nm diameter). Sensitivity to 27 μg/g (∼2 nM) MNPs within tissue phantoms is achieved by filtering paramagnetic from diamagnetic vibrations. We demonstrate biological feasibility by imaging topically applied MNPs during their diffusion into an excised rat tumor over a 2 hour time period

Magnetomotive nanoparticle transducers for optical rheology of viscoelastic materials

The availability of a real-time non-destructive modality to interrogate the mechanical properties of viscoelastic materials would facilitate many new investigations. We introduce a new optical method for measuring elastic properties of samples which employs magnetite nanoparticles as perturbative agents. Magnetic nanoparticles distributed in silicone-based samples are displaced upon probing with a small external magnetic field gradient and depth-resolved optical coherence phase shifts allow for the tracking of scatterers in the sample with nanometer-scale sensitivity. The scatterers undergo underdamped oscillations when the magnetic field is applied step-wise, allowing for the measurement of the natural frequencies of oscillation of the samples. Validation of the measurements is accomplished using a commercial indentation apparatus to determine the elastic moduli of the samples. This real-time non-destructive technique constitutes a novel way of probing the natural frequencies of viscoelastic materials in which magnetic nanoparticles can be introduced

Optical micro-scale mapping of dynamic biomechanical tissue properties

Mechanical forces such as adhesion, shear stress and compression play crucial roles in tissue growth, patterning and development. To understand the role of these mechanical stimuli, it is of great importance to measure biomechanical properties of developing, engineered, and natural tissues. To enable these measurements on the micro-scale, a novel, dynamic, non-invasive, high-speed optical coherence elastography (OCE) system has been developed utilizing spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (OCT) and a mechanical wave driver. Experimental results of OCE on silicone phantoms are in good agreement with those obtained from a standardized indentation method. Using phase-resolved imaging, we demonstrate OCE can map dynamic elastic moduli of normal and neoplastic ex vivo human breast tissue with a sensitivity of 0.08%. Spatial micro-scale mapping of elastic moduli of tissue offers the potential for basic science and clinical investigations into the role biomechanics play in health and disease

The emergence of optical elastography in biomedicine

Optical elastography, the use of optics to characterize and map the mechanical properties of biological tissue, involves measuring the deformation of tissue in response to a load. Such measurements may be used to form an image of a mechanical property, often elastic modulus, with the resulting mechanical contrast complementary to the more familiar optical contrast. Optical elastography is experiencing new impetus in response to developments in the closely related fields of cell mechanics and medical imaging, aided by advances in photonics technology, and through probing the microscale between that of cells and whole tissues. Two techniques — optical coherence elastography and Brillouin microscopy — have recently shown particular promise for medical applications, such as in ophthalmology and oncology, and as new techniques in cell mechanics