A team led by Professor Chulhong Kim at POSTECH has published a four-year review in Chemical Reviews, addressing the challenges and advancements in contrast-enhanced photoacoustic imaging. This imaging technique, valued for its optical contrast and ultrasonic resolution, faces obstacles like low signal-to-noise ratios, reduced image contrast, and spatial resolution limitations when imaging deep tissues. Additionally, practical issues such as poor cell-specific targeting and low delivery efficiency hinder its clinical applicability.
The researchers emphasize the necessity of recognizing these challenges and suggest developing innovative contrast-enhancing agents alongside high-performance imaging systems to support advancements in the field. Their review surveys recent solutions targeting signal-to-noise ratio, contrast enhancement, resolution improvements, and targeting efficiency. Promising strategies highlighted include photoswitching agents, near-infrared-II agents, super-resolution localization agents, and micromotor agents. The team also outlines future research directions aimed at facilitating next-generation developments in contrast-enhanced photoacoustic imaging. Their work is backed by numerous grants from various Korean governmental bodies, indicating a strong institutional support for progressing this promising biomedical imaging technique.
