Bioluminescence and near-infrared fluorescence imaging for detection of metastatic bone tumors

Bioluminescence imaging is being increasingly utilized in biological research. However, since the most commonly used firefly luciferase generates relatively weak bioluminescent signals, detection of low numbers of luciferase-expressing cells in vivo is challenging. The weak signal makes it difficult to detect cells located in deep tissues, which is problematic for preclinical research in tumor metastasis. In this study, three different types of...