Almost a decade ago, hyperspectral imaging (HSI) was employed by the NASA in satellite imaging applications such as remote sensing technology. This technology has since been extensively used in the exploration of minerals, agricultural purposes, water resources, and urban development needs. Due to recent advancements in optical re-construction and imaging, HSI can now be applied down to micro- and nanometer scales possibly allowing for exquisite control and analysis of single cell to complex biological systems. This short review provides a description of the working principle of the HSI technology and how HSI can be used to assist, substitute, and validate traditional imaging technologies. This is followed by a description of the use of HSI for biological analysis and medical diagnostics with emphasis on single-cell analysis using HSI.

Nanomaterials are playing an increasingly important role in cancer diagnosis and treatment. Nanoparticle (NP)‐based technologies have been utilized for targeted drug delivery during chemotherapies, photodynamic therapy, and immunotherapy. Another active area of research is the toxicity studies of these nanomaterials to understand the cellular uptake and transport of these materials in cells, tissues, and environment. Traditional techniques such as transmission electron microscopy, and mass spectrometry to analyze NP‐based cellular transport or toxicity effect are expensive, require extensive sample preparation, and are low‐throughput. Dark‐field hyperspectral imaging (DF‐HSI), an integration of spectroscopy and microscopy/imaging, provides the ability to investigate cellular transport of these NPs and to quantify the distribution of them within bio‐materials. DF‐HSI also offers versatility in non‐invasively monitoring microorganisms, single cell, and proteins. DF‐HSI is a low‐cost, label‐free technique that is minimally invasive and is a viable choice for obtaining high‐throughput quantitative molecular analyses. Multimodal imaging modalities such as Fourier transform infrared and Raman spectroscopy are also being integrated with HSI systems to enable chemical imaging of the samples. HSI technology is being applied in surgeries to obtain molecular information about the tissues in real‐time. This article provides brief overview of fundamental principles of DF‐HSI and its application for nanomaterials, protein‐detection, single‐cell analysis, microbiology, surgical procedures along with technical challenges and future integrative approach with other imaging and measurement modalities. This article is categorized under: Diagnostic Tools > in vitro Nanoparticle‐Based Sensing Diagnostic Tools > in vivo Nanodiagnostics and Imaging Implantable Materials and Surgical Technologies > Nanoscale Tools and Techniques in Surgery

Stem cell‐based therapies carry significant promise for treating human diseases. However, clinical translation of stem cell transplants for effective treatment requires precise non‐destructive evaluation of the purity of stem cells with high sensitivity (<0.001% of the number of cells). Here, a novel methodology using hyperspectral imaging (HSI) combined with spectral angle mapping‐based machine learning analysis is reported to distinguish differentiating human adipose‐derived stem cells (hASCs) from control stem cells. The spectral signature of adipogenesis generated by the HSI method enables identifying differentiated cells at single‐cell resolution. The label‐free HSI method is compared with the standard techniques such as Oil Red O staining, fluorescence microscopy, and qPCR that are routinely used to evaluate adipogenic differentiation of hASCs. HSI is successfully used to assess the abundance of adipocytes derived from transplanted cells in a transgenic mice model. Further, Raman microscopy and multiphoton‐based metabolic imaging is performed to provide complementary information for the functional imaging of the hASCs. Finally, the HSI method is validated using matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization‐mass spectrometry imaging of the stem cells. The study presented here demonstrates that multimodal imaging methods enable label‐free identification of stem cell differentiation with high spatial and chemical resolution.

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a widespread psychiatric injury that develops serious life-threatening symptoms like substance abuse, severe depression, cognitive impairments and persistent anxiety. However, the mechanisms of post-traumatic stress...