Triple immuno fluorescence for the macrophage marker CD68, arterial marker smooth muscle actin (SMA), and 4’,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI) stain (marks cell nuclei) on hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) specimens containing tris-acryl gelatin microspheres. The foreign body reaction, as indicated by macrophage number, differs between embolic type and vascular location. Extra = extravascular, Intra = intravascular. Tischfield et al., Radiology 2022.

Variability of tumor biopsies informs clinical and bench research applications. Images of core biopsies demonstrating heterogeneity of tumor content: (i) 100% tumor; (ii) 10% tumor; (iii) no tumor. Weinfurtner et al., Scientific Reports 2021.

Augmented reality (AR)-assisted navigation using HoloLens 2 enables direct targeting of lesion. virtual needle guide projected onto the phantom. Registration is visually confirmed with the actual CT gridlines aligned with the virtual gridlines. The needle is seen aligned with the virtual guide (purple line) displaying the ideal trajectory to the target lesion (green ball). Park et al., Scientific Reports 2020.

Functional genetic screening enables simultaneous selection of therapeutic targets and imaging probes. Schematic depicting metabolic pathways that can be analyzed with DNP-MRS probes. Purple nodes correspond to previously polarized probes. Pink nodes correspond to intermediates that have either been (i) directly visualized after injection of a DNP-MRS probe or (ii) precede a downstream intermediate that has been directly visualized. Yellow nodes correspond to metabolites that may serve as future molecular imaging probes. Dashed lines correspond to an enzyme or group of enzymes connecting DNP-MRS probes and/or intermediates. Colored semi-circles correspond to cancer types that may be imaged with a given DNP-MRS probe. Perkons et al., Clin, Can. Res. 2021.

DNP-MRSI enables the detection latent HCC cells surviving TAE in vivo. Whereas conventional imaging failed to detect viable tumor cells, DNP-MRSI of hyperpolarized 1-13C-pyruvic acid enabled the detection of persistent metabolism at the tumor periphery (green arrow) corresponding to regions of the tumor that appear nonviable (red arrow) on conventional MRI. Perkons et al., Hepatology 2020.

T2-weighted MR imaging enables real-time imaging of electrolytic ablation. Axial imaging of RPMI tissue culture medium and low-melting temperature agarose gel demonstrated the evolution of hypointense regions surrounding the anode and cathode after a 10 V, 360 second ablation. Stein et al., JVIR. 2020.

3D surface plot of 2D linear interpolation of pH measurements demonstrating cytotoxic pHs generated adjacent to the anode and cathode following electrolytic ablation. Perkons et al., Communications Biology 2018.

Patient-derived 2D and 3D HCC cell lines, orthotopic xenografts and autochthonous models for the development of novel image-guided therapies. Keifer et al., JVIR 2017.