X-ray Induced Photoacoustic Nanoprobe: Break Depth Dependency of Bioimaging (2017-2019)

In-situ imaging of specific biomarkers at the molecular level is key to understanding their roles in physiological and pathological processes, but current imaging techniques using fluorescent probes cannot detect biomarkers in deep tissues due to shallow light penetration. This project aims to develop a novel nanoprobe using an X-ray excited luminescence “nanolaser” as the local light source to activate coupled responsive photoacoustic sensors. By capitalising on the tissue penetrating property of X-rays and acoustic waves, real-time monitoring of biomarkers in deep tissues can be quantitatively achieved by collecting acoustic waves as the read-out signal, advancing detection technology for deep-tissue biomarkers.