What is optical imaging, and how does it work?
Optical imaging utilizes nonionizing electromagnetic radiation near or within the visible light spectrum to create images and is often used in conjunction with a variety of fluorescent or bioluminescent compounds that target a molecular process, cellular process, or disease of interest. It has a very high sensitivity of detection, but it suffers from a limited depth of penetration of light into tissues and also from light scattering. As a result, optical imaging is predominantly used in preclinical small animal research to study the biodistribution, pharmacokinetics, or pharmacodynamics of new therapeutics that are being developed.
