Bioluminescence imaging of point sources implanted in small animals post mortem: evaluation of a method for estimating source strength and depth

The performance of a simple approach for the in vivo reconstruction of bioluminescent point sources in small animals was evaluated. The method uses the diffusion approximation as a forward model of light propagation from a point source in a homogeneous tissue to find the source depth and power. The optical properties of the tissue are estimated from reflectance images obtained at the same location on the animal. It was possible to localize …