Abstract
In vivo near-infrared (NIR) imaging of molecular processes at the preclinical stage promises to provide more valuable mechanistic information about pathological pathways involved in neurodegeneration. NIR imaging has the potential to improve in vivo therapeutic screening protocols by enabling noninvasive monitoring of presymptomatic responses to treatment. We have developed new NIR fluorescent contrast agents conjugated to markers of cell death, and using these agents we have identified molecular pathways associated with prion-induced neurodegeneration and determined the optimal window for meaningful therapeutic intervention in prion disease. This chapter provides a description of the synthesis and purification of our NIR cell Death (NIRD) contrast agent and the application of in vivo NIRD (iNIRD) imaging to a prion model of neurodegeneration.
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Acknowledgments
VAL, CLH, and SCD were funded by project grant (APP1044264) administered by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) of Australia, and a grant from VCF-George Perry Fund, the Arthur and Mary Osborn Charitable Trust, and the William Buckland Foundation, managed by ANZ Trustees. SCD was supported by a Fellowship (FT110100199) administered by the Australian Research Council.
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Lawson, V.A., Tumpach, C., Haigh, C.L., Drew, S.C. (2017). In Vivo-Near Infrared Imaging of Neurodegeneration. In: Lawson, V. (eds) Prions. Methods in Molecular Biology, vol 1658. Humana Press, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-7244-9_17
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-7244-9_17
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