Raman spectroscopy in chemical bioanalysis

Advances in instrumentation are making Raman spectroscopy the tool of choice for an increasing number of (bio)chemical applications. Raman is an interesting option for several reasons, including the sensitivity to small structural changes, non-invasive sampling capability, minimal sample preparation, and high spatial resolution in the case of Raman microspectroscopy. Herein we discuss the most recent technical approaches employed, from the well-known surface enhanced resonance Raman spectroscopy to non-linear Raman techniques such as coherent anti-stokes Raman spectroscopy (CARS) and related techniques. Relevant applications of Raman spectroscopy in the fields of clinical pathology, in vivo and ex vivo imaging, classification and detection of microorganisms and chemical analysis in the past three years are also included.