Clinical translation of photoacoustic imaging

Photoacoustic imaging (PAI), also known as optoacoustic imaging, is a promising biomedical imaging technique that combines the benefits of rich optical contrast and high ultrasonic spatial resolution to overcome the limited penetration depth of light in living subjects. Basic biomedical research conducted with PAI in preclinical studies has generated much interest and shown outstanding potential for clinical and commercial translation. PAI has captured morphological, functional and molecular information in studies of living animals and humans, providing intrinsic clinical indicators from early diagnosis through to treatment monitoring. This Review presents the fundamentals of PAI technology and various clinical PAI systems and addresses key findings from pilot and clinical patient studies of human organ systems. The Review also discusses technical and non-technical challenges in clinical scenarios, emphasizes the importance of standardization in accelerating clinical translation, and summarizes the current state of the PAI regulatory process.