Label-free chemical imaging: Unveiling hidden signatures for molecule-based diagnosis and treatment (Prof. Ji-Xin Cheng)

Various labeling approaches have enabled selective visualization of cellular structures or biomolecules with high specificity under a light microscope. Despite great advances made recently, the labeling approach also has limitations: First, labels may perturb the function of a biological molecule or structure; Second, the labeling approach offers limited capacity of discovery because it is only applicable to mapping known species; Third, delivery of labels to a target could be difficult, especially under in vivo conditions; Fourth, potential toxicity often prevents the use of labels on human patients. Chemical microscopy, based on optical spectroscopic signals, opens a way to circumvent these barriers. I will present various advanced modalities of chemical microscopy and discoveries of hidden signatures in microstructures, esp. in living organisms, enabled by chemical microscopy.