Bioimaging Overview - Concepedia

Principles

Definition

Bioimaging is a multidisciplinary research field and methodological approach focused on the visualization and analysis of biological structures, processes, and functions across scales from molecular to organismal, utilizing advanced imaging technologies to provide critical insights, often non-invasively.

Ontological type

Imaging Modalities

Image Analysis Techniques

Multiscale Applications

Key developments

Key Figures

Localization-driven Nanoscale Imaging era

Stefan Hell's 1994 STED work demonstrated that optical resolution could be pushed below the diffraction limit through controlled depletion, establishing a nanoscale imaging framework that influenced localization-based approaches. W. E. Moerner pioneered first single-molecule fluorescence detection and tracking in biological systems, enabling nanometer-precision localization and quantitative analyses of molecular motion in membranes and cells. Xiaowei Zhuang and colleagues advanced localization-based, multiplexed imaging by using spectrally distinct, photostable probes to localize many fluorophores with nanometer precision and to perform dynamic single-molecule tracking in living cells. Eric Betzig contributed early near-field imaging approaches that demonstrated nanoscale optical localization, and Roger Y. Tsien provided the bright, photostable dyes and multiplex labeling strategies that underpinned in vivo bioimaging in this era.

Bright Nanomaterial Imaging era

Shoujun Zhu[1] is a researcher whose work in this era connects to institutions such as Stanford University[2] and Jilin University[3]. The paper 'Highly Photoluminescent Carbon Dots for Multicolor Patterning, Sensors, and Bioimaging' [4] showcased high-brightness, photoluminescent emitters enabling multicolor patterning, sensors, and bioimaging, a foundational contribution to the era's emphasis on bright, biocompatible imaging. Building on this foundation, Zhu[1] through affiliations with Stanford University[2] and Jilin University[3] during 2005–2017 helped propel scalable nanoparticle chemistries and multimodal strategies essential for bright imaging. Thus, Zhu[1]'s contributions anchored the era's trajectory toward tunable, biocompatible nanomaterials and open computational analysis that enable quantitative imaging.

Multimodal Super-Resolution Imaging era

Yuri S. Kivshar [1] is associated with the City University of Hong Kong [3] and the Australian National University [4] in this era. His contribution through Imaging-based molecular barcoding with pixelated dielectric metasurfaces [7] introduced metasurface-based molecular barcodes that enable multiplexed, high-contrast readouts at nanoscale resolution, a key advance for multimodal, super-resolution imaging in this era. Duk‐Yong Choi [2] is associated with the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology [5] and The University of Sydney [6] in this era. As co-author of Imaging-based molecular barcoding with pixelated dielectric metasurfaces [7], Choi's work helped propagate this metasurface barcode approach, underscoring the era's shift toward label-free, molecularly specific, high-throughput imaging that integrates ultrastructural detail with clinical-scale throughput.