VascuViz: a multimodality and multiscale imaging and visualization pipeline for vascular systems biology

Abstract

Despite advances in imaging, image-based vascular systems biology has remained challenging because blood vessel data is often available only from a single modality or at a given spatial scale, and cross-modality data are difficult to integrate. Therefore, there is an exigent need for a multimodality pipeline that enables ex vivo vascular imaging with MRI, CT and optical microscopy of the same sample, while permitting imaging with complementary contrast mechanisms from the whole-organ to endothelial cell spatial scales. To achieve this, we developed ‘VascuViz’ – an easy-to-use method for simultaneous 3D imaging and visualization of the vascular microenvironment using MRI, CT and optical microscopy in the same intact, unsectioned tissue. The VascuViz workflow permits multimodal imaging with a single labeling step using commercial reagents and is compatible with diverse tissue types and protocols. VascuViz’s interdisciplinary utility in conjunction with novel data visualization approaches opens up new vistas in image-based vascular systems biology.

The potential role of ischaemia–reperfusion injury in chronic, relapsing diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, Long COVID, and ME/CFS: evidence, mechanisms, and therapeutic implications

“…Most capillaries (depending on the individual under study [ 397 ]) are just 5–10 μm in diameter [ 398–406 ], which means that erythrocytes, with a discoid shape of 6–8 μm diameter × 2–2.5 μm [ 407 ], largely pass through them in single file (and their viscosity is here at a minimum [ 408 ]). Others are more like 15–50 μm diameter [ 409 , 410 ].…”

“…Improved imaging methods coupled to advanced computer vision algorithms for assessing such capillary diameters (e.g. [ 398 , 399 , 409 , 414–421 ]) and their relation to blood flow represent important areas of research.…”

Sterically Shielded Hydrophilic Analogs of Indocyanine Green

“…The large difference in the mouse biodistribution of dye 3 and ICG shows that the shielding arms in dye 3 greatly alter the pharmacokinetics and clearance pathways . The biological data supports the feasibility of this molecular probe platform for future next-generation NIR fluorescence DCE imaging and spectroscopy paradigms. − …”

“…For example, recent studies have used ICG for DCE spectroscopy or imaging to assess colon perfusion, , bone perfusion, , cerebral perfusion, − and vascular permeability. − Since ICG binds strongly to albumin, its effective diameter as a dynamic contrast agent is the size of the 67 kDa protein. There is emerging evidence that important additional pharmacokinetic insight can be gained by changing the size of the NIR contrast agent to interrogate different dynamic regimes. ,,− …”

Application of machine learning in predicting blood flow and red cell distribution in capillary vessel networks

“…Although recent advances in imaging techniques have enabled mapping of a large number of capillary vessels in vivo [14,22,23], direct measurements of spatially and temporally resolved RBC and flow distribution are possible only over relatively small tissue volumes [24]. To overcome this limitation, theoretical models of network blood flow are often used to obtain flow and RBC distribution in a large microvascular network after image acquisition [23,25,26]. Such theoretical models, although used widely, have some limitations.…”