Figure 5. Comparison between photoacoustic imaging using single-walled carbon nanotubes and fluorescence imaging using quantum dots.
a, Fluorescence image (red) of a mouse injected with QD– RGD. The white arrow indicates the tumour location. The other bright spots on the image represent the different organs in which QD– RGD non-specifically accumulated. b, Tumor photograph. c, Horizontal (xy plane) and d, vertical (xz plane) slices in the 3D photoacoustic image of a mouse injected with SWNT – RGD. The black dotted line shows the vertical slice orientation and the white dotted line shows the height of the horizontal slice in the vertical slice. The location of the single-walled carbon nanotubes in the tumour is visualized with high spatial resolution.