Imaging and sensing at depth with fluorescent nanoparticles
Dr Blanca del Rosal Rabes
- RMIT University
Thursday 23 November, 11.30am
Abstract
Fluorescence imaging in living organisms is tricky: visible wavelengths are scattered and absorbed very efficiently, making it impossible to image at tissue depths beyond a few hundred microns.
Near- and short-wave infrared (SWIR) wavelengths are attenuated much less, making it possible to image at larger tissue depths with minimal tissue autofluorescence. SWIR-emitting materials (dyes, quantum dots and lanthanide-doped nanoparticles) have enabled deep-tissue high resolution imaging, real-time drug delivery monitoring and contactless thermometry in animal models.
However, imaging at depth is not the only challenge: light-tissue interaction complicates image analysis and can lead to quantitation errors and inaccurate sensing. While SWIR bioimaging and sensing has been a very active area of research for a few years, many fundamental challenges around nanoparticle properties and their interaction with living organisms remain.
About the speaker
Blanca del Rosal obtained her PhD in Physics in 2017 from Autonomous University of Madrid (Spain) and currently holds an ARC DECRA fellowship at RMIT. Her research focuses on the application of photoluminescent and plasmonic nanoparticles in biomedicine – including short-wave-infrared bioimaging and sensing, light-activated drug delivery and optical stimulation of the nervous system.
