Molecular optical coherence tomography contrast enhancement and imaging

Histochemistry began as early as the nineteenth century, with the development of synthetic dyes that provided spatially mapped chemical contrast in tissue [1]. Stains such as hematoxylin and eosin, which contrast cellular nuclei and cytoplasm, greatly aid in the interpretation of microscopy images. An analogous development is currently taking place in biomedical imaging, whereby techniques adapted for MRI, CT, and PET now provide in vivo molecular imaging over the entire human body, aiding in both fundamental research discovery and in clinical diagnosis and treatment monitoring. Because OCT offers a unique spatial scale that is intermediate between microscopy and whole-body biomedical imaging, molecular contrast OCT (MCOCT) also has great potential for providing new insight into in vivo molecular processes. The strength of MCOCT lies in its ability to isolate signals from a molecule or contrast agent from the tissue scattering background over large scan areas at depths greater than traditional microscopy techniques while maintaining high resolution.