Optical Imaging on the IVIS SpectrumCT System: General and Technical Considerations

The IVIS® SpectrumCT is a powerful and versatile optical imaging platform for small animal imaging in pre-clinical settings. With a relatively small floor footprint, it provides two key optical imaging functionalities: Bioluminescence (BLI) and Fluorescence (FLI). Its advanced optical components, including an ultra-sensitive CCD camera and two full range excitation/emission filter sets, enable the system to operate in a broad spectral range, extending from the visible to near infrared (NIR) light. Simple 2D BLI/FLI scanning for surface signal offers a powerful tool for many applications in preclinical research, and the 3D BLI/FLI scanning modes expand this system’s capabilities beyond standard optical imaging. Bioluminescence acquired in 3D scanning mode provides sufficiently bright spectral signatures, differing with source depth, to enable 3D localization and accurate reconstruction. The 3D fluorescence scanning mode, which uses a transillumination strategy for delivering excitation light, more effectively excites deep tissue signal, which allows fluorescence detection and quantification in challenging models, like orthotopic cancer and pulmonary inflammation, that cannot be imaged as effectively in 2D. Pairing these 3D optical datasets with the system’s X-ray computed tomography (CT) component provides biologically relevant, anatomically accurate context to best interpret your imaging results. Together with the Living Image® software for image analysis and a great variety of optical imaging agents for biological investigations, PerkinElmer’s IVIS SpectrumCT provides an all-around optical imaging solution that fits many different research needs. The goals of this technical note are: (1) to provide the users a general, comprehensive understanding of the operational principles and the underlying differences between BLI and FLI; and (2) to explain and demonstrate technical considerations and animal preparations that can assure optimal 2D/3D optical imaging using the IVIS SpectrumCT system. Optical Imaging on the IVIS SpectrumCT System: General and Technical Considerations for 2D and 3D Imaging