Novel Biomedical Imaging Techniques Based on Ultrasound and Laser: Progress and Applications

Dear Colleagues,

Integration of light and ultrasound has produced new innovations in biomedical imaging that combine the molecular specificity of light with deep-tissue penetration of ultrasound. Advancements in light sources, acoustic transducer materials and arrangements, non-contact sensing, specialized electronics for large channel counts, machine learning, and novel contrast agents have led to an explosion of research that explores the versatility of these hybrid imaging techniques to enable multi-modal and multi-scale functional and anatomical imaging to address a variety of biomedical imaging challenges.

Continued research focuses on enhancing molecular sensitivity and specificity, improving imaging depth and resolution, pushing the envelope towards fast 2D or real-time volumetric imaging, improving speed and accuracy of tomographic reconstruction, and addressing the unique challenges associated with pre-clinical vs. clinical applications.

This Special Issue aims at presenting original research that describes the current state of the art in imaging technologies at the intersection of light and sound. Studies that describe the translational potential of these imaging techniques are particularly welcome. Submissions that describe the synthesis and characterization of contrast agents without direct demonstration of specific imaging techniques are outside the scope of this Special Issue. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

• Photoacoustic (aka optoacoustic) imaging and tomography;
• Acousto-optic imaging;
• X-ray or microwave-induced ultrasound for sensing and imaging;
• Applications in biomedical microscopy and flow cytometry;
• Laser-generated ultrasound for sensing and imaging;
• Advanced image reconstruction schemes including deep learning;
• Multi-modal imaging systems;
• Contrast agents and their imaging applications.

Dr. Parag V. Chitnis
Dr. Chu Ma
Guest Editors

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