Fluorescence Imaging (FI) Service in Animal Models of Stroke

Fluorescence imaging is a modality for measuring biological, chemical or biophysical information and its changes over time by imaging a fluorescent indicator that emits a fluorescent signal comprising the desired information. In addition, it has the advantage of non-invasively obtaining functional and specific biological information without destroying any biological material, such as cells. Fluorescence imaging is a powerful tool for studying physiology and pathophysiology in animal disease models. Noninvasive fluorescence imaging (NFI) has been successfully applied to a variety of animal disease models, including cancer, arthritis, and stroke. By imaging fluorescent markers that display biochemical and biophysical information associated with stroke and subsequent brain injury, it is possible to understand the causes of stroke and validate diagnostic/therapeutic techniques for stroke.

Fig. 1. Properties of imaging systems for noninvasive detection of fluorescent sources in the brain of live mice. (Stemmer et al., 2012)

Our Services

Based on advanced confocal and two-photon fluorescence microscopy platforms, Ace Therapeutics provides reliable non-invasive fluorescence imaging services in animal models of stroke for clients worldwide. Our fluorescence imaging technology has been adapted for both microscopic and macroscopic applications in the mouse brain to visualize stem cells or stroke-related functional changes based on fluorescent proteins (FP), fluorescent dyes, and endogenous chromophores. The following imaging agents can be customized to meet client project requirements.

• FP: the green FP (GFP)
• Fluorescent dyes: chloromethyl fluorescein diacetate and long-chain carbocyanine dyes
• Endogenous chromophores

Our researchers can perform NIR laser excitation on the mouse head or from the top to effectively penetrate the mouse skull. We can even perform transillumination while the mouse is rotated 360° to allow photons to be collected from multiple projections. We ensure the fastest possible delivery of planar and laminar images of deep fluorescent sources in the brain of a living animal, helping you to obtain detailed structural information about the neural tissue in vivo in stroke animals.

Applications of Our FI Services

Our FI services allow us to assist clients in:

• Visualizing several biological processes associated with stroke, including blood flow or perfusion, endothelial activation, cell death, enzyme activity, and inflammation.
• Demonstrating blood-brain barrier (BBB) damage in mouse models of stroke.
• Analyzing the causes and mechanisms of stroke.
• Validating diagnostic/therapeutic techniques for stroke.
• Analyzing structural neuroplasticity, axonal regeneration and germination, and dendritic regeneration during recovery and rehabilitation after stroke.

Our Advantages

• Deliverables are high-resolution images and analysis reports.
• We offer a large range of fluorescent imaging agents available, including non-specific, target-specific, and activatable imaging probes.
• Small animals are imaged in vivo upon request, or specific tissues and organs are removed and imaged in vitro upon request.

Ace Therapeutics is committed to utilizing highly sensitive fluorescent dyes to perform fluorescence imaging in the brains of living mice to visualize pathophysiological events in rodent stroke models. We aim to accelerate your stroke research. If you are interested in our services, please do not hesitate to contact us!

1. Stemmer, N., et al. (2012). Noninvasive fluorescence imaging in animal models of stroke. Current medicinal chemistry, 19(28), 4786-4793.