The IVIS 3D biophotonic imaging system provides full three-dimensional diffuse tomographic analysis of bioluminescent light sources in living animals as well as two-dimensional multi-view fluorescent imaging capabilities. The system captures and processes numerous views/orientations taken around the mouse to provide researchers with better spatial representations of the light sources (e.g., cancer metastases, inflammatory markers). It is designed to enable researchers to more accurately pinpoint where and when a drug candidate has an effect on or is affected by a normal or disease process. The detailed surface topography measurements provided by the IVIS 3D Imaging System are ideal for co-registering with other modalities such as CT and MRI. Non-invasive imaging systems enable scientists to visualize, track and understand biological processes in living animals, in real time. The technology incorporates luciferase, the enzyme that makes fireflies and some bacteria glow, into living animals. Illuminating biological processes allows real-time visual exploration and analysis of gene expression, cellular pathways, drug/target interactions and the mechanism of action of drugs.