Fluorescence histo-tomography (FHT) systems and methods

1. A fluorescence histo-tomography (FHT) system comprising:

a housing;

a fluorescence camera located within the housing;

a white light camera located within the housing;

a fluorescence light source located within the housing; and

a support mount configured to support the housing within a chamber of a slicing apparatus such that the cameras and fluorescence light source are aimed towards a block face of a tissue specimen retained within the chamber, wherein the support mount is removably positionable on a floor of the chamber.

2. The FHT system as in claim 1 , further comprising:

processing circuitry that includes a processor configured to execute a process and a memory to store the process executed by the processor, the process when executed operable to:

control the white light camera to capture a white light image of a block face of a tissue specimen retained within the chamber;

control the fluorescence camera to capture a fluorescence image of the block face under white light and fluorescence illumination;

co-register the white light and fluorescence images to form a combined image; and

provide the combined image to an electronic display.

3. The FHT system as in claim 2 , wherein the process when executed is further operable to:

control the white light and fluorescence cameras to capture the white light and fluorescence images of the block face simultaneously.

4. The FHT system as in claim 1 , further comprising:

a gas cylinder storing a pressurized gas;

a nozzle coupled to the gas cylinder via tubing and positionable within the chamber of the slicing apparatus to direct the nozzle towards the tissue specimen; and

a control mechanism coupled to the tubing that controls a flow of the pressurized gas towards the tissue specimen within the chamber via the nozzle.

5. The FHT system as in claim 1 , further comprising:

one or more multi-colored fiducials for insertion into the tissue specimen.

6. The FHT system as in claim 1 , wherein the housing is portable and wherein the housing further comprises a handle to allow a user to removably position the housing within the chamber.

7. The FHT system as in claim 1 , wherein the slicing apparatus comprises a cryomicrotome.

8. The FHT system as in claim 1 , further comprising:

a tissue chamber configured to retain the tissue specimen; and

a fiducial positioning apparatus configured to engage the tissue chamber, wherein the fiducial positioning apparatus forms a plurality of apertures through which fiducials may be inserted into the tissue specimen retained within the tissue chamber.

9. The FHT system as in claim 1 , wherein the fluorescence camera is configured to detect the presence of a fluorophore within the tissue specimen at a wavelength between a range of approximately 200 nm to 1000 nm, when the block face of the tissue specimen is illuminated with the fluorescence light source.

10. A method of performing fluorescence histo-tomography (FHT) comprising:

capturing, by an imaging device mounted within a chamber of a slicing apparatus, a white light image of a block face of a tissue specimen retained within the chamber, wherein the imaging device is mounted within the chamber using a support mount in contact with a floor of the chamber;

capturing, by the imaging device, a fluorescence image of the block face under white light and fluorescence illumination;

co-registering, by the imaging device, the white light and fluorescence images to form a combined image; and

providing, by the imaging device, the combined image to an electronic display.

11. The method as in claim 10 , wherein the white light and fluorescence images are acquired simultaneously by the imaging device.

12. The method as in claim 10 , wherein the white light image is capturing via a white light camera of the imaging device, and wherein the fluorescence image is capturing via a fluorescence camera of the imaging device.

13. The method as in claim 10 , wherein the white light illumination comprises ambient light.

14. The method as in claim 10 , further comprising:

manually operating the slicing apparatus to expose a second block face of the tissue specimen; and

generating, by the imaging device, a combined white light and fluorescence image of the exposed second block face.

15. The method as in claim 10 , further comprising:

capturing a high resolution image of the block face under white light; and

registering the high resolution image to the white light image.

16. The method as in claim 10 , further comprising:

capturing, by the imaging device, a second fluorescence image of the block face under a low ambient light condition; and

registering, by the imaging device, the second fluorescence image with the fluorescence image captured under white light and fluorescence illumination.

17. A fluorescence histo-tomography (FHT) system comprising:

a portable housing having a handle to allow a user to removably position the housing within a chamber of a slicing apparatus;

a fluorescence camera located within the housing;

a white light camera located within the housing;

a fluorescence light source located within the housing; and

a support mount configured to support the housing within the chamber such that the cameras and fluorescence light source are aimed towards a block face of a tissue specimen retained within the chamber.

18. The FHT system as in claim 17 , wherein a white light and fluorescence images are acquired simultaneously by the white light camera and fluorescence camera, respectively.