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Oral Contributed Presentation

RAM

RAMAN09: Spatially Offset Raman Spectroscopy (SORS)

From Whole-Body MRI to In Situ Raman Detection: Toward Intraoperative Tumor Margin Evaluation

Tuesday, October 7, 2025
4:30 PM - 4:50 PM EDT
Location: Ballroom E

    Presenting Author(s)

  • Renzo Vanna, PhD

    PhD, senior scientist
    Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche - Istituto di Fotonica e Nanotecnologie
    Milano, Lombardia, Italy

    • Non-Presenting Author(s)

  • BG

    Benedetta Gavazzoni

    Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche - Istituto di Fotonica e Nanotecnologie
    Milano, Lombardia, Italy

  • FM

    Francesco Manna

    Physics Department, Politecnico di Milano
    Milano, Lombardia, Italy

  • BB

    Beatrice Lucia Bona

    Department of Chemistry, Materials, and Chemical Engineering, Politecnico di Milano
    Milano, Lombardia, Italy

  • FG

    Francesca Garello

    Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, University of Turin
    Turin, Piemonte, Italy

  • CC

    Cristina Chirizzi

    IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta
    Milan, Lombardia, Italy

  • AL

    Alberto Lux

    CNR-ISPC, Sapienza University of Rome
    Milano, Lombardia, Italy

  • DP

    Dario Polli, PhD

    Professor of Physics
    Politecnico di Milano, Department of Physics//CNR-Institute for Photonics and Nanotechnologies
    Milan, Lombardia, Italy

  • GD

    Giuseppe Digilio

    Università del Piemonte Orientale
    Alessandria, Piemonte, Italy

  • Claudia Conti, PhD

    Senior Researcher
    CNR-ISPC
    Milano, Lombardia, Italy

  • FB

    Francesca Baldelli Bombelli

    Department of Chemistry, Materials, and Chemical Engineering, Politecnico di Milano
    Milano, Lombardia, Italy

In fifteen words or less, explain the significance of this contribution (Novel Aspect).: In situ Raman identification of a fluorinated MRI agent for surgical margin exploration.

Abstract Text:

Accurate intraoperative evaluation of tumor-free margins is critical for reducing recurrence rates and improving surgical outcomes. Current gold-standard histopathological analysis is time-consuming, requires extensive sample handling, and may miss residual tumor cells due to sampling limitations. There is thus a strong need for real-time, reliable tools to assess surgical margins directly in situ.

We present a multimodal approach based on fluorinated nanoparticles—PLGA nanocarriers loaded with PERFECTA, a superfluorinated molecular probe with exceptional 19F MRI sensitivity and distinct Raman signatures (1, 2). Nanoparticles were stabilized with either polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) or sodium cholate (NaC) and are amenable to future surface functionalization for tumor targeting.

We first characterized their Raman fingerprints and investigated cellular uptake in NIH3T3 fibroblasts using a custom-built 660 nm inverted Raman microscope equipped for live-cell imaging, revealing time-dependent internalization of both the fluorinated core and the PLGA shell. In vivo studies were performed in BALB/c mice bearing orthotopic mammary tumors. After nanoparticle administration (intratumoral or intravenous), 19F MRI confirmed tumor localization. Raman detection was then performed ex vivo on intact tumors, limbs and whole mice using both a 660 nm microscope and two additional 785 nm systems configured for SORS and micro-SORS. Signals from PERFECTA were consistently detected at tumor surfaces. Adjacent histological sections were further analyzed to confirm tissue-level localization.

This multimodal workflow demonstrates the feasibility of using a single probe for MRI-based tumor localization and in situ Raman-based detection at the surgical level, paving the way for intraoperative assessment of tumor margins in a label-free, histology-independent manner.

1) J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2014, 136, 8524;
2) J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2021, 143, 12253.