Maximizing content across scales: Moving multimodal microscopy and mesoscopy toward molecular imaging

Area of Science:

• Biomedical imaging
• Optical microscopy
• Molecular imaging

Background:

• Molecular imaging aims to visualize molecules in vivo, a goal currently achieved through integrated techniques.
• Existing imaging methods like confocal microscopy and MRI have limitations in scale and resolution.
• Mesoscopic imaging fills the gap between high-resolution cellular imaging and low-resolution whole-body imaging.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review recent advances in optical microscopy and mesoscopic imaging technologies.
• To highlight hardware and software developments pushing sensitivity and resolution boundaries.
• To discuss the integration of mesoscopic imaging with other modalities for comprehensive molecular and cellular visualization.

Main Methods:

• Focus on optical microscopy techniques for molecular and cellular imaging.
• Analysis of mesoscopic imaging approaches bridging microscopy and MRI.
• Review of hardware and software innovations in imaging sensitivity and resolution.

Main Results:

• Mesoscopic imaging visualizes molecular and cellular organization from submicron to centimeter scales.
• Integration of microscopy and mesoscopic imaging enables multi-scale molecular visualization.
• Advancements in hardware and software are improving imaging sensitivity and resolution.

Conclusions:

• Mesoscopic imaging is crucial for bridging the resolution gap in molecular imaging.
• Technological advancements are enhancing the capabilities of molecular and mesoscopic imaging.
• The correlation between different imaging scales facilitates comprehensive biological research and clinical applications.