Two-Photon Intravital Microscopy of Glioblastoma in a Murine Model

Glioblastoma is one of the most common primary brain cancer and is associated with fast growth and poor life expectancy. Developing effective therapies for glioblastoma remains a major challenge since the delivery of therapeutics is limited by the blood brain barrier. A method to directly image the accumulation and distribution of macromolecules in the brain would greatly enhance our ability to understand and optimize drug delivery.

Two-photon microscopy offers an elegant solution for studying the real-time distribution of nanoparticles in the preclinical model of glioblastoma. By modifying the nanoparticle used in this study, it's possible to investigate the delivery of different drug candidates and combination therapies on a cellular and molecular level. In addition to two-photon intravital microscopy, the iron oxide component of these nanoparticles allow for multimodal imaging with MRI or MPI.

For the future, imaging facilities could serve in the realization of early detection to cancer, thereby leading to more effective therapies against malignant neoplasia. One path to achieve this is to merge two-photon intravital microscopy with other imaging modalities such as positron emission tomography and photoacoustic ultrasound.