Bone disease imaging through the near-infrared-II window

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Imaging
• Nanotechnology
• Skeletal Biology

Background:

• Skeletal disorder diagnosis relies on X-ray imaging, posing radiation risks.
• Current optical imaging lacks specific deep-tissue targeting for bone applications.
• Near-infrared-II (NIR-II) window offers deep tissue penetration without radiation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a non-invasive, high-resolution imaging method for skeletal disorders.
• To investigate lanthanide-doped nanocrystals for passive bone marrow targeting.
• To enable detailed 3D bone morphology visualization and early disease detection.

Main Methods:

• Utilized lanthanide-doped nanocrystals for passive bone marrow targeting.
• Developed high-resolution near-infrared-II (NIR-II) optical imaging instrumentation.
• Performed 3D imaging of bone morphology and monitored bone defects and inflammation.

Main Results:

• Demonstrated passive targeting of bone marrow by nanocrystals for over two months.
• Achieved spatial resolution comparable to X-ray imaging for monitoring 1 mm bone defects.
• Successfully visualized early-stage synovitis in rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis symptoms like osteophytes.

Conclusions:

• Lanthanide-doped nanocrystals offer a safe and effective method for bone marrow imaging.
• High-resolution NIR-II imaging provides a powerful tool for diagnosing and monitoring skeletal disorders.
• This approach surpasses traditional methods by offering detailed morphological and early inflammatory insights without radiation exposure.