CARS microscopy on its way to clinical translation
In a review article, Haohua Tu and Stephen A. Boppart from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (USA) discuss the six most outstanding technical barriers and six advanced features, including interferometry, that can be independently added into a standard but high-performance scheme to overcome these barriers. They also outline a strategy that would integrate multiple advanced features to overcome these barriers simultaneously, effectively reduce tradeoffs, and synergistically optimize CARS microscopy for clinical translation. The operation of the envisioned system incorporates coherent Raman micro-spectroscopy for identifying vibrational biomolecular markers of disease and single-frequency (or hyperspectral) Raman imaging of these specific biomarkers for realtime in vivo diagnostics and monitoring.
By recognizing CARS spectroscopy vs. CARS imaging as the most fundamental tradeoff, the authors suggest that clinical CARS microscopy should be optimized to perform either Raman spectroscopy with a broad spectral coverage, or Raman imaging at one or a few discrete Raman frequencies, but not both. The former could be realized by integrating all of the six advanced features discussed, resulting in a highly sensitive version of spontaneous Raman microscopy that could rapidly identify new Raman biomarkers of medical significance from thin ex vivo tissue sections. The latter would adaptively integrate some of the advanced features, depending on the identified Raman biomarkers and the technical issue of fiber-based miniaturization, to perform in vivo molecular imaging in patients.
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Topic World Spectroscopy
Investigation with spectroscopy gives us unique insights into the composition and structure of materials. From UV-Vis spectroscopy to infrared and Raman spectroscopy to fluorescence and atomic absorption spectroscopy, spectroscopy offers us a wide range of analytical techniques to precisely characterize substances. Immerse yourself in the fascinating world of spectroscopy!
Topic World Spectroscopy
Investigation with spectroscopy gives us unique insights into the composition and structure of materials. From UV-Vis spectroscopy to infrared and Raman spectroscopy to fluorescence and atomic absorption spectroscopy, spectroscopy offers us a wide range of analytical techniques to precisely characterize substances. Immerse yourself in the fascinating world of spectroscopy!