Can Be Real-time Monitoring Of The Tumor Cells Of The Circulatory System Of New In Vivo Flow Cytometry Method

We developed a new biomedical optical device called "in vivo flow cytometry". With combination of both in vivo real-time fast imaging technique and ex vivo flow cytometry, we can use this device to monitor and quantitatively analyze the fluorescently labeled target cell groups (i.e. cancer cells) in live animals to fill the blank of quantitative analysis in in-vivo imaging field. Laser beam is focused across appropriate blood vessel, where labeled cells would pass through and be excited to emit fluorescence. Based on detected fluorescence signal, which will be converted into electrical, later digital signals, we can analyze the dynamics of specific cell groups (for example, hepatocellular cancer cells) using self-developed softwares. In vivo flow cytometry is a powerful tool to monitor real-time biomolecular events in live animals, to diagnose metastasis of malignant tumor or other severe diseases, and to study immunology in leukocyte related disease. The advantage of in vivo flow cytometry is avoidance of blood extraction, enabling dynamic observation of one single animal in long period.