Molecular Imaging with SERS-Active Nanoparticles

Raman spectroscopy has been explored for various biomedical applications (e.g., cancer diagnosis) because it can provide detailed information on the chemical composition of cells and tissues. For imaging applications, several variations of Raman spectroscopy have been developed to enhance its sensitivity. To date, a wide variety of molecular targets and biological events have been investigated using surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS)-active nanoparticles. The superb multiplexing capability of SERS-based Raman imaging, already successfully demonstrated in live animals, can be extremely powerful in future research where different agents can be attached to different Raman tags to enable the simultaneous interrogation of multiple biological events. Over the last several years, molecular imaging with SERS-active nanoparticles has advanced significantly and many pivotal proof-of-principle experiments have been successfully carried out. It is expected that SERS-based imaging will continue to be a dynamic research field over the next decade.