Enabling research into the tumour microenvironment: Novel Photonics Assays for Cancer Research

Physics and engineering principles have long been applied to the development of instrumentation and assays that have significantly advanced biological research. In particular, photonics based instruments and assays have proven to be powerful tools that enable researchers to investigate biological processes in vivo. The research described in this thesis covers a range of photonics based instruments and assays that expand the capabilities researchers have to investigate challenging biological problems. These advances give researchers new tools for directly visualising dynamic biological events in three ways: 1) How to look: novel microscope instrumentation; 2) What to look at: Novel imaging based assays to dissect the tumour microenvironment; and 3) Where to look: Novel surgical protocols to enable ultra-high-resolution optical imaging in living animals (intravital imaging). Application of these assays and instruments to the challenging problem of cancer metastasis has led to a new understanding of the process of intravasation and haematogenous dissemination, paving the way to new clinical diagnostics and therapies.