About this Research Topic
Nowadays, substantial and remarkable progress has been made in life sciences and medical research due to the growth of the health crisis worldwide, which derives the precision diagnosis for patients. Despite the clinical characteristics and genetic signatures, clinical imaging techniques also play critical roles and help the doctors to diagnose and monitor diseases, guide surgical interventions and evaluate treatment efficacy and prognosis. Although imaging modalities have been well developed, such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computed tomography (CT), positron emission tomography (PET), single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), major limitations still exist in these imaging modalities including hazardous ionizing radiation, poor temporal resolution and lack of both exogenous and endogenous probes for imaging.
In contrast, optical imaging has also been studied and used in the aforementioned areas due to its non-invasive and fast feedback characteristics. Furthermore, it provides diffraction-limited, spatial and temporal resolution for acquiring wide-field images in living organisms by utilizing a combination of many available and engineered optical probes. Benefiting from the reduced scattering and absorption effects as well as low autofluorescence background, as compared to traditional wavelengths in the visible range, low energy near-infrared light (700-1700 nm) offers a promising imaging window to dramatically enhance spatial resolution, signal-to-noise ratio, and penetration depth in investigations of live biological and physiological processes as well as non-invasive diagnosis and image-guided surgery. To this end, the Research Topic aims to call for advances in basic science in developing new fluorescent probes, imaging instrumentation, analytical methods and their applications for improvement of diagnosis and therapy in this “tissue transparent window”, and will provide a timely update of this continuously evolving field.
Based on these studies, the Topic Editors encourage and welcome insightful work, including Original Research articles, Reviews and Perspectives, covering the following themes, but not limited to, to further promote basic research and translation of near-infrared imaging in life science and medical research:
- Design, synthesis, engineering and characterization of novel near-infrared inorganic and organic optical probes;
- Algorithms and methodologies of bioimaging to improve the signal-to-noise ratio, spatial resolution, temporal resolution, tissue penetration depth and multiplexing;
- Instrumentation and systems for high speed and high contrast bioimaging in the near-infrared region;
- New optical dimensions for advanced bioimaging, such as lifetime, polarization etc;
- Potential applications using near-infrared imaging for in vivo biomedical/clinical practice;
- Multimodality imaging in improving effects of precise diagnosis and therapy.
- Near-infrared imaging-guided precise photothermal/photodynamic/chemotherapy for theranostic
In contrast, optical imaging has also been studied and used in the aforementioned areas due to its non-invasive and fast feedback characteristics. Furthermore, it provides diffraction-limited, spatial and temporal resolution for acquiring wide-field images in living organisms by utilizing a combination of many available and engineered optical probes. Benefiting from the reduced scattering and absorption effects as well as low autofluorescence background, as compared to traditional wavelengths in the visible range, low energy near-infrared light (700-1700 nm) offers a promising imaging window to dramatically enhance spatial resolution, signal-to-noise ratio, and penetration depth in investigations of live biological and physiological processes as well as non-invasive diagnosis and image-guided surgery. To this end, the Research Topic aims to call for advances in basic science in developing new fluorescent probes, imaging instrumentation, analytical methods and their applications for improvement of diagnosis and therapy in this “tissue transparent window”, and will provide a timely update of this continuously evolving field.
Based on these studies, the Topic Editors encourage and welcome insightful work, including Original Research articles, Reviews and Perspectives, covering the following themes, but not limited to, to further promote basic research and translation of near-infrared imaging in life science and medical research:
- Design, synthesis, engineering and characterization of novel near-infrared inorganic and organic optical probes;
- Algorithms and methodologies of bioimaging to improve the signal-to-noise ratio, spatial resolution, temporal resolution, tissue penetration depth and multiplexing;
- Instrumentation and systems for high speed and high contrast bioimaging in the near-infrared region;
- New optical dimensions for advanced bioimaging, such as lifetime, polarization etc;
- Potential applications using near-infrared imaging for in vivo biomedical/clinical practice;
- Multimodality imaging in improving effects of precise diagnosis and therapy.
- Near-infrared imaging-guided precise photothermal/photodynamic/chemotherapy for theranostic
Keywords: near-infrared imaging, optical probes, luminescence, biomedical imaging, precise diagnosis
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