Fluorescent molecular imaging and dosimetry tools in photodynamic therapy.

Measurement of fluorescence and phosphorescence in vivo is readily used to quantify the concentration of specific species that are relevant to photodynamic therapy. However, the tools to make the data quantitatively accurate vary considerably between different applications. Sampling of the signal can be done with point samples, such as specialized fiber probes or from bulk regions with either imaging or sampling, and then in broad region image-guided manner. Each of these methods is described below, the application to imaging photosensitizer uptake is discussed, and developing methods to image molecular responses to therapy are outlined.