Photonic Data Science

Advanced optical imaging technologies have experienced increased visibility in medical research as they allow for a label-free and nondestructive investigation of tissue either in an excised state or in living organisms. Besides a multitude of ex vivo studies proving the applicability of these optical imaging approaches a transfer of various modalities toward in vivo diagnosis is currently in progress. Furthermore, combining optical imaging techniques, referred to as multimodal imaging, allows for an improved diagnostic reliability due to the complementary nature of retrieved information. In this review, we provide a summary of multifold ongoing efforts in multimodal tissue imaging with particular attention to in vivo applications for medical diagnostic purposes. We also discuss the advantages and potential limitations of the imaging methods and outline opportunities for future developments.