Abstract
Optical microscopy techniques have emerged as a cornerstone of biomedical research, capable of probing the cellular functions of a vast range of substrates, whilst being minimally invasive to the cells or tissues of interest. Incorporating biological imaging into the early stages of the drug discovery process can provide invaluable information about drug activity within complex disease models. Spontaneous Raman spectroscopy has been widely used as a platform for the study of cells and their components based on chemical composition; but slow acquisition rates, poor resolution and a lack of sensitivity have hampered further development. A new generation of stimulated Raman techniques is emerging which allows the imaging of cells, tissues and organisms at faster acquisition speeds, and with greater resolution and sensitivity than previously possible. This review focuses on the development of stimulated Raman scattering (SRS), and covers the use of bioorthogonal tags to enhance sample detection, and recent applications of both spontaneous Raman and SRS as novel imaging platforms to facilitate the drug discovery process.
Highlights
IntroductionThe analysis of a cell, or tissue, in a native environment still poses a significant challenge to biomedical research
Optical microscopy techniques have emerged as a cornerstone of biomedical research, capable of probing the cellular functions of a vast range of substrates, whilst being minimally invasive to the cells or tissues of interest
This review focuses on the development of stimulated Raman scattering (SRS), and covers the use of bioorthogonal tags to enhance sample detection, and recent applications of both spontaneous Raman and SRS as novel imaging platforms to facilitate the drug discovery process
Summary
The analysis of a cell, or tissue, in a native environment still poses a significant challenge to biomedical research. Martin Lee studied Biochemistry at the University of Bristol and completed his PhD in Biomedical Engineering at the University of Edinburgh. His PhD work focused around Coherent anti-Stokes Raman imaging and he has continued this interest by joining the Edinburgh Cancer Research Centre as an Imaging Engineer helping to apply these imaging methodologies to Cancer Research. Intrinsic molecular contrast which does not rely on the incorporation of bulky fluorescent labels or dyes would be highly advantageous to the analysis of small molecules in a cellular environment by imaging; and the development of techniques based on intrinsic molecular contrast could allow more complex imaging models to be incorporated into the drug discovery process. Imaging systems based upon infrared spectroscopy have been reported,[12] but they are limited by the low spatial resolution imposed by the diffraction limit of
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
