Optical Molecular Sensing and Imaging: Development and Applications

Dear Colleagues,

Determining molecular properties and functions is important for deeply understanding cell activities and developing novel therapeutic strategies. The optical sensing and imaging approaches are powerful tools for studying molecular events owing to the noninvasive and dynamic monitoring features. Label-free sensing approaches have shown distinct advantages in analyzing intrinsic molecular properties, such as mass, diffusion, and binding kinetics. Recently developed label-free single-molecule imaging approaches, including interferometric scattering microscopy, plasmonic scattering microscopy, and evanescent scattering microscopy, have further advanced this field by pushing beyond the ensemble average to reveal the statistical distributions of molecular properties in both pure buffer and complex biological media at the single molecular level. At the same time, the NIR fluorescence imaging approaches have gained significant attention in molecular imaging due to their deep tissue penetration, reduced scattering, and autofluorescence background. In this issue, we focus on the new development of highly sensitive label-free biosensing and imaging approaches and the NIR biosensing, and especially the integrated imaging approaches combining the label-free and NIR biosensors to reveal the multiple properties of biological processes. We invite research submissions capable of helping advance the field of optical molecular imaging and their applications for the efficient analysis of biological activities.

Dr. Pengfei Zhang
Dr. Rui Wang
Topic Editors