Three‐dimensional imaging technologies: a priority for the advancement of tissue engineering and a challenge for the imaging community

Abstract

Tissue engineering/regenerative medicine (TERM) is an interdisciplinary field that applies the principle of engineering and life sciences to restore/replace damaged tissues/organs with in vitro artificially-created ones. Research on TERM quickly moves forward. Today newest technologies and discoveries, such as 3D-/bio-printing, allow in vitro fabrication of ex-novo made tissues/organs, opening the door to wide and probably never-ending application possibilities, from organ transplant to drug discovery, high content screening and replacement of laboratory animals. Imaging techniques are fundamental tools for the characterization of tissue engineering (TE) products at any stage, from biomaterial/scaffold to construct/organ analysis. Indeed, tissue engineers need versatile imaging methods capable of monitoring not only morphological but also functional and molecular features, allowing three-dimensional (3D) and time-lapse in vivo analysis, in a non-destructive, quantitative, multidimensional analysis of TE constructs, to analyze their pre-implantation quality assessment and their fate after implantation. This review focuses on the newest developments in imaging technologies and applications in the context of requirements of the different steps of the TERM field, describing strengths and weaknesses of the current imaging approaches.

Optical windows for head tissues in near‐infrared and short‐wave infrared regions: Approaching transcranial light applications

“…attenuation, bone, brain, optical tissue window, short-wave infrared, skin, skull, transcranial imaging 1 | INTRODUCTION Biophotonics, involving interaction of light and biomaterials, is among the most promising and actively developing multidisciplinary approaches expected to make a major impact on health care [1][2][3][4][5]. The ability of light to penetrate into tissue is a key for diagnostic (eg, optical bioimaging) and therapeutic (eg, light induced therapy and drug delivery) applications of biophotonics.…”

Near‐infrared human finger measurements based on self‐calibration point: Simulation and in vivo experiments

“…Conventional imaging is only possible on the surface due to the high tissue scattering. Many spectroscopy methods attempt to overcome this limitation by reverse computations based on multiple wavelength or modulated light sources in the near‐infrared (NIR) spectral range . However, these methods are complex and require high throughput and computation time.…”

Photoacoustic Imaging in Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine

“…Limited soft tissue contrast Tradeoff between spatial resolution and imaging depth MFM 1-1.6 0.5-1.0 Cell morphology and physiology [247][248][249][250] Cell distribution in scaffold 248 Biomaterial characterization [251][252][253] Cell tracking 254 Microvasculature morphology and oxygenation 250,255 Superior 256,257 Tissue development 258,259 Vascular imaging and perfusion [260][261][262][263] Biomaterial characterization [264][265][266] Blood flow 267,268 Real time imaging High spatial and temporal resolution Does not require exogenous contrast agent Flow velocity independent of vessel orientation…”