Dr. Alba Alfonso García Profile

Dr. Alba Alfonso García

Project Scientist at Univ of California Davis

SPIE Involvement:

Conference Program Committee | Author | Leadership Workshop Facilitator

Area of Expertise:

biophotonics , coherent Raman scattering microscopy , Raman spectroscopy , fluorescence lifetime imaging

Publications (21)

Proceedings Article | 13 March 2024 Presentation

Detecting infiltrative edges of brain tumors using label-free intraoperative FLIm

Mohamed Hassan, Silvia Noble Anbunesan, Alba Alfonso García, Matthew Bobinski, Han Lee, Lee-Way Jin, Orin Bloch, Laura Marcu

Proceedings Volume PC12831, PC1283102 (2024) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.3003609

KEYWORDS: Tumors, Cancer detection, Brain, Edge detection, Tissues, Surgery, Resection, Receivers, Performance modeling, Neuroimaging

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Proceedings Article | 13 March 2024 Presentation

Assessing in vivo label-free fluorescence lifetime Imaging sensitivity to low-grade colon inflammation

Alba Alfonso García, Jee-Yon Lee, Alex Condon, Xiangnan Zhou, Julien Bec, Andreas Baumler, Laura Marcu

Proceedings Volume PC12822, PC1282206 (2024) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.3002008

KEYWORDS: Colon, Inflammation, In vivo imaging, Fluorescence lifetime imaging, Tissues, Mode conditioning cables, Switches, Reliability, Portability, Micro optics

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Proceedings Article | 13 March 2024 Presentation

Optical biopsy of brain tumors using fluorescence lifetime imaging (FLIm)

Silvia Noble Anbunesan, Alba Alfonso Garcia, Julien Bec, Mohamed Hassan, Lisanne Kraft, Matthew Bobinski, Han Sung Lee, Lee-Way Jin, Orin Bloch, Laura Marcu

Proceedings Volume PC12831, PC1283101 (2024) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.3001898

KEYWORDS: Biopsy, Brain, Tumors, Neuroimaging, Fluorescence lifetime imaging, Tissues, Magnetic resonance imaging, Brain tissue, Windows, Tissue optics

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Proceedings Article | 12 March 2024 Presentation + Paper

Validation of label-free optical imaging markers of pancreatic cancer using spatial transcriptomics

Thomas Knapp, Suzann Duan, Alba Alfonso-Garcia, Juanita Merchant, Travis Sawyer

Proceedings Volume 12854, 1285407 (2024) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2691452

KEYWORDS: Tissues, Biological imaging, Tumors, Biological samples, Visualization, Autofluorescence, Fluorescence imaging, Biomedical optics, Image registration, Fluorescence lifetime imaging

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Label-free biomedical imaging represents a range of powerful technologies used to visualize natural sources of biological contrast. Label-free techniques such as autofluorescence and fluorescence lifetime imaging measure contrast produced by various cellular products and provide high sensitivity for detecting tissue changes that occur with disease onset. However, a major limitation of these modalities, and many label-free modalities broadly, is the lack of robust validation methods that confirm signal specificity. Moreover, existing approaches are limited to assessing correlations and fail to provide mechanistic information into pathological events. Spatially resolved gene sequencing methods (e.g., spatial transcriptomics) are a powerful tool to gain detailed biological insight into tissue properties by creating 2-D maps of variations in gene expression that influence tissue properties. Thus, these techniques represent an avenue for validation of label-free imaging markers through the examination of how label-free image features correspond to gene expression. Toward this aim, we performed autofluorescence and fluorescence lifetime imaging on tissue specimens from four patients presenting with pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors. We then performed spatial transcriptome sequencing on serial tissue sections to measure transcriptome-wide signatures. We assessed imaging biomarkers related to cellular metabolism, vasculature, and extracellular matrix properties. After registering the label-free images to the transcriptomic signatures, we performed k-means clustering, and assessed the correlation between imaging markers and differentially expressed genes associated with tissue properties of interest. Specifically, we aimed to examine correlations between gene expression and established optical biomarkers (e.g., optical redox ratio), along with identifying other potential connections between label-free optics and cellular genetics. The results show that spatial transcriptomics can be used as an effective validation tool for label-free imaging markers, while simultaneously providing additional biological insight to improve the specificity of imaging studies.

Proceedings Article | 6 March 2023 Presentation + Paper

Intraoperative detection of IDH-mutant glioma subtype using fluorescence lifetime imaging

Silvia Noble Anbunesan, Alba Alfonso-Garcia, Xiangnan Zhou, Julien Bec, Matthew Bobinski, Han Sung Lee, Lee-way Jin, Orin Bloch, Laura Marcu

Proceedings Volume 12368, 1236803 (2023) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2650379

KEYWORDS: Tumors, Tissues, Resection, White matter, Fluorescence, Fluorescence lifetime imaging, Surgery, Medicine, Brain tissue, Brain

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Proceedings Article | 9 March 2022 Presentation

Real-time interrogation of brain tumors using intraoperative FLIm

Silvia Noble Anbunesan, Alba Alfonso García, Xiangnan Zhou, Julien Bec, Roberto Frusciante, Lisanne Kraft, Brent Weyers, Matthew Bobinski, Han Sung Lee, Lee-Way Jin, Orin Bloch, Laura Marcu

Proceedings Volume PC11949, PC1194904 (2022) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2610424

KEYWORDS: Tumors, Brain, Tissues, Neuroimaging, Luminescence, Surgery, Statistical analysis, Pulsed laser operation, Proteins, Laser tissue interaction

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Proceedings Article | 7 March 2022 Presentation

Real-time intraoperative fluorescence lifetime imaging of 5-ALA induced PpIX and autofluorescence in brain tumors: first results in patients

Xiangnan Zhou, Silvia Anbunesan, Alba Alfonso García, Julien Bec, Lisanne Kraft, Roberto Frusciante, Orin Bloch, Laura Marcu

Proceedings Volume PC11943, PC1194305 (2022) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2612597

KEYWORDS: Tumors, Brain, Luminescence, Fluorescence lifetime imaging, Neuroimaging, Visualization, Tissues, Surgery, Video, System identification

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SPIE Journal Paper | 2 February 2022 Open Access

First in patient assessment of brain tumor infiltrative margins using simultaneous time-resolved measurements of 5-ALA-induced PpIX fluorescence and tissue autofluorescence

Alba Alfonso García, Xiangnan Zhou, Julien Bec, Silvia Anbunesan, Farzad Fereidouni, Lee-Way Jin, Han Sung Lee, Orin Bloch, Laura Marcu

JBO, Vol. 27, Issue 02, 020501, (February 2022) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.10.1117/1.JBO.27.2.020501

KEYWORDS: Luminescence, Tumors, Tissues, Brain, Microscopes, In vivo imaging, Surgery, Video, Data acquisition, Visualization

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Significance: 5-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA)-induced protoporphyrin IX (PpIX) fluorescence is currently used for image-guided glioma resection. Typically, this widefield imaging method highlights the bulk of high-grade gliomas, but it underperforms at the infiltrating edge where PpIX fluorescence is not visible to the eyes. Fluorescence lifetime imaging (FLIm) has the potential to detect PpIX fluorescence below the visible detection threshold. Moreover, simultaneous acquisition of time-resolved nicotinamide adenine (phosphate) dinucleotide [NAD(P)H] fluorescence may provide metabolic information from the tumor environment to further improve overall tumor detection. Aim: We investigate the ability of pulse sampling, fiber-based FLIm to simultaneously image PpIX and NAD(P)H fluorescence of glioma infiltrative margins in patients. Approach: A mesoscopic fiber-based point-scanning FLIm device (355 nm pulses) was used to simultaneously resolve the fluorescence decay of PpIX (629/53 nm) and NAD(P)H (470/28 nm). The FLIm device enabled data acquisition at room light and rapid (<33 ms) augmentation of FLIm parameters on the surgical field-of-view. FLIm measurements from superficial tumors and tissue areas around the resection margins were performed on three glioblastoma patients in vivo following inspection of PpIX visible fluorescence with a conventional neurosurgical microscope. Microbiopsies were collected from FLIm imaged areas for histopathological evaluation. Results: The average lifetime from PpIX and NAD(P)H fluorescence distinguished between tumor and surrounding tissue. FLIm measurements of resection margins presented a range of PpIX and NAD(P)H lifetime values (τPpIX   ∼ 3 to 14 ns, τNAD(P)H = 3 to 6 ns) associated with unaffected tissue and areas of low-density tumor infiltration. Conclusions: Intraoperative FLIm could simultaneously detect the emission of PpIX and NAD(P)H from patients in vivo during craniotomy procedures. This approach doubles as a clinical tool to identify tumor areas while performing tissue resection and as a research tool to study tumor microenvironmental changes in vivo. Intraoperative FLIm of 5-ALA-induced PpIX and tissue autofluorescence makes a promising surgical adjunct to guide tumor resection surgery.

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Proceedings Article | 5 March 2021 Presentation

Assessment of murine gut dysbiosis with intraluminal fluorescence lifetime imaging

Alba Alfonso García, Stephanie Cevallos, Jee-Yon Lee, Cai Li, Julien Bec, Andreas Bäumler, Laura Marcu

Proceedings Volume 11626, 116260I (2021) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2578687

KEYWORDS: Tissues, Fluorescence lifetime imaging, Colon, Mode conditioning cables, Luminescence, Switches, Sodium, Inflammation, In vivo imaging, Diagnostics

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Proceedings Article | 9 March 2020 Presentation

FLIm guided Raman imaging for detecting bovine pericardium cross-links and calcification (Conference Presentation)

Tanveer Ahmed Shaik, Alba Alfonso Garcia, Xiangnan Zhou, Anne Haudenschild, Christoph Krafft, Laura Marcu, Jürgen Popp

Proceedings Volume 11215, 112150I (2020) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2545632

KEYWORDS: Raman spectroscopy, Fluorescence lifetime imaging, Analog electronics, Target acquisition, Data acquisition, Luminescence, Tissues, Nondestructive evaluation

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Proceedings Article | 9 March 2020 Presentation

Fiber-based instrument for simultaneous exogenous fluorescence and endogenous fluorescence lifetime imaging of engineered vascular tissue (Conference Presentation)

Cai Li, Alba Alfonso García, Lauren Uyesaka, Benjamin Sherlock, Leigh Griffiths, Laura Marcu

Proceedings Volume 11243, 1124313 (2020) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2545251

KEYWORDS: Luminescence, Tissues, Imaging systems, Fluorescence lifetime imaging, Microscopy, Visualization, Optical imaging, Tissue optics, Multiplexing, Reflectivity

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Proceedings Article | 9 March 2020 Presentation

FLIm and Raman imaging for detecting micro-environmental changes in bovine pericardium upon genipin cross-linking (Conference Presentation)

Tanveer Ahmed Shaik, Alba Alfonso García, Martin Richter, Florian Korinth, Anne Haudenschild, James Mcmasters, Christoph Krafft, Jürgen Popp, Laura Marcu

Proceedings Volume 11243, 112431B (2020) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2544225

KEYWORDS: Raman spectroscopy, Fluorescence lifetime imaging, In vitro testing, Analog electronics, Target acquisition, Data acquisition, Luminescence, Tissues, Nondestructive evaluation

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Proceedings Article | 7 March 2019 Presentation

Study of vascular tissue grafts cellularization process in bioreactors using label-free fluorescence lifetime imaging (Conference Presentation)

Cai Li, James Mcmasters, Alba Alfonso García, Julien Bec, Anne Haudenschild, Alyssa Panitch, Leigh Griffiths, Laura Marcu

Proceedings Volume 10855, 108550A (2019) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2510823

KEYWORDS: Tissues, Fluorescence lifetime imaging, Nondestructive evaluation, Control systems, Manufacturing, Multispectral imaging, Stem cells, Prototyping

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Proceedings Article | 7 March 2019 Presentation

Fluorescence lifetime imaging and intravascular ultrasound (FLIm/IVUS) platform for label-free intraluminal characterization of vascular biomaterials in vitro and in vivo (Conference Presentation)

Alba Alfonso García, Anne Haudenschild, James Mcmasters, Julien Bec, Xiangnan Zhou, Alyssa Panitch, Leigh Griffiths, Laura Marcu

Proceedings Volume 10855, 1085509 (2019) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2510816

KEYWORDS: In vivo imaging, In vitro testing, Fluorescence lifetime imaging, Arteries, Tissues, Intravascular ultrasound, Structured optical fibers, Multispectral imaging, Imaging systems, Natural surfaces

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Proceedings Article | 14 March 2018 Presentation

Study of bovine pericardium biochemical and biomechanical properties during collagenase degradation using fluorescence lifetime imaging (Conference Presentation)

Cai Li, Jeny Shklover, Mojtaba Parvizi, Benjamin Sherlock, Alba Alfonso García, Leigh Griffiths, Laura Marcu

Proceedings Volume 10471, 1047103 (2018) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2287487

KEYWORDS: Collagen, Fluorescence lifetime imaging, In vivo imaging, Luminescence, Proteins, Molecules, Tissue engineering, Nondestructive evaluation, In vitro testing, Imaging systems

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Proceedings Article | 14 March 2018 Presentation

Tracking recellularization processes in vascular tissues with fiber-based autofluorescence lifetime imaging (Conference Presentation)

Alba Alfonso García, Jeny Shklover, Benjamin Sherlock, James Mcmasters, Alyssa Panitch, Leigh Griffiths, Laura Marcu

Proceedings Volume 10471, 1047106 (2018) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2288821

KEYWORDS: Tissues, Luminescence, In vivo imaging, Fluorescence lifetime imaging, Natural surfaces, Imaging systems, Nondestructive evaluation, Fiber optics, Interfaces, Stem cells

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Proceedings Article | 2 November 2016 Presentation

Coherent spectroscopy in the single molecule limit (Conference Presentation)

Eric Potma, Kevin Crampton, Alex Fast, Alba Alfonso García, Vartkess Apkarian

Proceedings Volume 9956, 99560A (2016) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2237208

KEYWORDS: Imaging spectroscopy, Molecules, Single molecule spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, Spectroscopy, Raman scattering, Surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy, Nonlinear optics, Molecular spectroscopy, Signal generators

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Proceedings Article | 28 June 2016 Presentation

Mapping biological tissues with hyperspectral coherent Raman scattering microscopy (Conference Presentation)

Eric Potma, Alba Alfonso Garcia

Proceedings Volume 9720, 97200F (2016) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2213565

KEYWORDS: Microscopy, Raman scattering, Tissues, Chromium, Raman spectroscopy, Data acquisition, Principal component analysis, Biological research, Biomedical optics, Spectroscopy

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SPIE Journal Paper | 18 April 2016 Open Access

Label-free identification of macrophage phenotype by fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy

Alba Alfonso-García, Tim Smith, Rupsa Datta, Thuy Luu, Enrico Gratton, Eric Potma, Wendy Liu

JBO, Vol. 21, Issue 04, 046005, (April 2016) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.10.1117/1.JBO.21.4.046005

KEYWORDS: Fluorescence lifetime imaging, Luminescence, Microscopy, Mode conditioning cables, Indium oxide, Laser phosphor displays, Visualization, Tissues, Biological research, Statistical analysis

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SPIE Journal Paper | 17 December 2015 Open Access

D38-cholesterol as a Raman active probe for imaging intracellular cholesterol storage

Alba Alfonso García, Simon Pfisterer, Howard Riezman, Elina Ikonen, Eric Potma

JBO, Vol. 21, Issue 06, 061003, (December 2015) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.10.1117/1.JBO.21.6.061003

KEYWORDS: Raman spectroscopy, Hyperspectral imaging, Visualization, Proteins, Analog electronics, Mode conditioning cables, Signal detection, Raman scattering, Yeast, Microscopy

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SPIE Journal Paper | 10 March 2014 Open Access

Biological imaging with coherent Raman scattering microscopy: a tutorial

Alba Alfonso-Garcia, Richa Mittal, Eun Seong Lee, Eric Potma

JBO, Vol. 19, Issue 07, 071407, (March 2014) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.10.1117/1.JBO.19.7.071407

KEYWORDS: Chromium, Microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, Tissues, Raman scattering, Coherence imaging, Signal detection, Microscopes, Molecules, Light scattering

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