Biochemical Imaging of Drug-Delivery Systems: Using Raman.

Imaging of cellular architecture provides crucial insight into the details of cellular biology. A widely used technique to image cellular processes is fluorescence microscopy. Although the technique is well established, there are certain difficulties encountered, such as low contrast and photo- bleaching. When utilized as a labelling method for a certain molecule of interest, such fluorophores, or dyes, may potentially alter its biochemical properties, or leach out of the system of interest, if they are utilized to visualize a compartment. Novel optical imaging methods, such as Raman microspectroscopy, have been gaining recognition in their ability to obtain non-invasively the distribution of biochemical components of a sample. Raman spectroscopy in combination with optical microscopy provides a label-free method to assess and image cellular processes, without the use of extrinsic fluorescent dyes. This book demonstrates the vast potential of Raman microspectroscopy to provide a non-invasive and label-free method to image sub-cellular architecture, as well as monitor uptake, intracellular kinetics and dynamics of biocompatible nano-drug-delivery systems.

Tatyana Chernenko, PhD: Major was focused on physical chemistry at Northeastern University. Currently working in Department of Pharmaceutical Science, on Pharmaceutics and Drug Delivery Systems, at Northeastern University. Prior, was leading physical chemistry laboratory, as graduate teaching assistant of undergraduate courses.