Optical Imaging in Biology: Basics
and Applications
S. P. Singh and Soumik Siddhanta
Abstract The field of biomedical optics and imaging deals with the interaction of
light with biological media, either to a system in a petri dish or to a more complex
biological organization up to the organismal level. The popularity of optical imaging
techniques is driven by its capability for molecular imaging through optical contrast
agents and optically sensitive reporter molecules either in vitro or in vivo. The sensitivity of the optical techniques can even reach a single-molecule level, and in some
modalities, the imaging can be done without using any optical contrast, reporter
molecules, or exogenous agents. The signal-to-noise ratio of these techniques can
be equivalent or even exceeds the levels achieved with other molecular imaging
or radiological techniques. This book chapter reviews the basics of several optical
imaging-based technologies that are been developed or translated from bench to
bedside for clinical or pre-clinical applications.
Keywords Biomedical imaging · Optics · Scattering · Fluorescence · Raman
spectroscopy · Hyperspectral imaging
1 Introduction
The field of biomedical optics and imaging has its unique advantages in being noncontact, non-ionizing, portable, with high molecular specificity. These features have
enabled optical techniques to find a wide range of applications in clinical therapy
and diagnostics. Biomedical imaging derives its principles from the mathematical
concepts formulated for stellar light propagation in galaxies. The roots of optical
imaging of specimens date back to 1600 when Hans and Zacharias Jansen and later,
Hans Lippershey invented the compound microscope which was further developed
S. P. Singh (B)
Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Dharwad,
Dharwad, Karnataka 580011, India
e-mail: ssingh@iitdh.ac.in
S. Siddhanta
Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, Delhi 110016, India
e-mail: soumik@chemistry.iitd.ac.in
© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2021
D. K. Singh et al. (eds.), Modern Techniques of Spectroscopy, Progress in Optical Science
and Photonics 13, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-33-6084-6_23
637
and Applications
S. P. Singh and Soumik Siddhanta
Abstract The field of biomedical optics and imaging deals with the interaction of
light with biological media, either to a system in a petri dish or to a more complex
biological organization up to the organismal level. The popularity of optical imaging
techniques is driven by its capability for molecular imaging through optical contrast
agents and optically sensitive reporter molecules either in vitro or in vivo. The sensitivity of the optical techniques can even reach a single-molecule level, and in some
modalities, the imaging can be done without using any optical contrast, reporter
molecules, or exogenous agents. The signal-to-noise ratio of these techniques can
be equivalent or even exceeds the levels achieved with other molecular imaging
or radiological techniques. This book chapter reviews the basics of several optical
imaging-based technologies that are been developed or translated from bench to
bedside for clinical or pre-clinical applications.
Keywords Biomedical imaging · Optics · Scattering · Fluorescence · Raman
spectroscopy · Hyperspectral imaging
1 Introduction
The field of biomedical optics and imaging has its unique advantages in being noncontact, non-ionizing, portable, with high molecular specificity. These features have
enabled optical techniques to find a wide range of applications in clinical therapy
and diagnostics. Biomedical imaging derives its principles from the mathematical
concepts formulated for stellar light propagation in galaxies. The roots of optical
imaging of specimens date back to 1600 when Hans and Zacharias Jansen and later,
Hans Lippershey invented the compound microscope which was further developed
S. P. Singh (B)
Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Dharwad,
Dharwad, Karnataka 580011, India
e-mail: ssingh@iitdh.ac.in
S. Siddhanta
Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, Delhi 110016, India
e-mail: soumik@chemistry.iitd.ac.in
© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2021
D. K. Singh et al. (eds.), Modern Techniques of Spectroscopy, Progress in Optical Science
and Photonics 13, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-33-6084-6_23
637