Emerging trends in biomedical imaging and disease diagnosis using Raman spectroscopy

Abstract The chapter discusses emerging applications of Raman spectroscopy in the areas of biomedical imaging of cells and tissues with the ultimate goal of clinical translation for disease diagnosis. The technological developments in lasers, detectors, and fiber optics during the last few decades have enabled identification of subtle molecular differences driving pathological transformations using Raman spectroscopy. The ex vivo studies conducted to examine biofluids, mineralized tissues, and solid tumors that demonstrated the initial feasibility of harnessing the specificity of Raman data for clinical diagnosis have been presented. Next, the resultant early in vivo studies conducted with the goal of establishing Raman spectroscopy as a real-time tool for intraoperative surgical margin assessment and endoscopic diagnosis have been reviewed. In addition, emerging preclinical studies for characterizing metastatic progression of cancer and response to therapy have been discussed. Finally, the biomedical applications enabled by integration of this spectroscopic modality with microscopy and incorporation of nanomaterials for surface selective electromagnetic enhancement of Raman signal have been briefly reviewed.