A hyperspectral approach for recovering agent excretion biodistributions using whole-body fluorescence cryo-imaging

Abstract
Characterizing an administered drug’s pathway from initial systemic uptake, to targeted tissue accumulation, and the eventual excretion route is an important component of clinical translation. For mapping such pharmacokinetic behaviors in a biologically-relevant system, fluorescently-tagged drugs are commonly administered and examined in preclinical animal models. Broadband fluorescence cryo-imaging offers a high-resolution, whole-animal technique for recovering such fluorescently-tagged biodistributions, although agent-specificity remains a challenge due to unknown levels of heterogeneous tissue autofluorescence. Herein, we report on a new hyperspectral multichannel fluorescence cryo-imaging system and demonstrate higher agent-specificity and signal-sensitivity compared to conventional broadband fluorescence.