Versatile and comprehensive hyperspectral imaging tool for molecular neuronavigation: a case study on cerebral gliomas

Year: 2025

Authors: Nardini D., Toaha A., Bonaudo C., Ezhov I., Artemiou A., Camelia M., Nozzoli F., Giannoni L., Tachtsidis I., Della Puppa A., Rueckert D., Ricci P., Pavone F.S.

Autors Affiliation: Univ Florence, Dept Phys & Astron, Sesto Fiorentino, Italy; European Lab Nonlinear Spect, Sesto Fiorentino, Italy; Univ Florence, Azienda Osped Univ Careggi, Dept Neurosci Psychol Pharmacol & Child Hlth, Neurosurg, Florence, Italy; Tech Univ Munich, Klinikum Rechts Isar, Munich, Germany; UCL, Dept Med Phys & Biomed Engn, London, England; Careggi Univ Hosp, Histopathol & Mol Diagnost, Florence, Italy; Imperial Coll London, Dept Comp, London, England; Munich Ctr Machine Learning MCML, Munich, Germany; CNR, Natl Inst Opt, Florence, Italy.

Abstract: Significance: Accurate and timely characterization of brain tumors remains a major challenge in neurosurgery. Current intraoperative guidance relies on preoperative imaging modalities such as magnetic resonance imaging, positron emission tomography, or computed tomography, which are essential for surgical planning but become less reliable during surgery due to brain shift. Furthermore, postoperative tumor classification depends on histopathology, which requires weeks and can delay treatment decisions. No existing tool offers real-time, label-free, and spatially resolved biomolecular information to support both intraoperative guidance and early tissue assessment. Aim: We developed HyperProbe1.1 (HP1.1), a hyperspectral imaging system designed to acquire comprehensive molecular and metabolic information from brain tissue without the need for contrast agents or staining. Approach: HP1.1 captures reflectance images across a broad range of narrow spectral bands, enabling spatial mapping of hemoglobin, cytochrome c oxidase, and oxygen saturation. In addition, ultraviolet-excited autofluorescence imaging provides information on metabolic cofactors – nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide and flavin adenine dinucleotide – relevant for tumor characterization. The system was validated using standardized phantoms and ex vivo glioma samples. Results: HP1.1 demonstrated strong performance in detecting spectral features across phantoms and in distinguishing glioma tissues of different histological grades, enabling the generation of rapid and spatially resolved molecular contrast maps. Conclusions: By providing label-free, high-content, and rapid biomolecular imaging, HP1.1 represents a powerful platform for noninvasive tissue assessment in controlled experimental settings and paves the way for future intraoperative applications.

Journal/Review: JOURNAL OF BIOMEDICAL OPTICS

Volume: 30 (12)      Pages from: 126007-1  to: 126007-17

More Information: The authors thank Dr Frederic Lange for the useful discussion on tissue oxygenation and hemodynamics and Dr Giovanni Simonetti for the custom 3D-printed plastic compartment. ChatGPT has been used for language and grammar clean-up of the manuscript. The HyperProbe consortium and project have received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation program (Grant No. 101071040)-Project HyperProbe. Views and opinions expressed are, however, those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them. IT from UCL is supported by the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) (Grant No. 10048387). This research has also been supported by the Italian Ministry for University and Research in the framework of the Advanced Light Microscopy Italian Node of Euro-Bioimaging ERIC.
KeyWords: hyperspectral imaging; glioma grading; spectral unmixing; contrast maps
DOI: 10.1117/1.JBO.30.12.126007