Raman scattering of a cell conveys the intrinsic information inherent to chemical structures of biomolecules. The spectroscopy of Raman scattering, or Raman spectroscopy, allows label-free and quantitative molecular sensing of a biological sample in situ without disruption. For the last five decades Raman spectroscopy has been widely utilized in biological research fields. However, it is just within the latest decade that molecular imaging and discrimination of living cells and tissues have become practically available. Here we overview recent progress in Raman spectroscopy and its application to life sciences. We discuss imaging of functional molecules in living cells and tissues; e.g., cancer cells and ischemic or infarcted hearts, together with a number of studies in the biomedical fields. We further explore comprehensive understandings of a complex spectrum by multivariate analysis for, e.g., accurate peripheral nerve detection, and characterization of the histological differences in the healing process of myocardial infarct. Although limitations still remain, e.g., weakness of the scattering intensity and practical difficulty in comprehensive molecular analysis, continuous progress in related technologies will allow wider use of Raman spectroscopy for biomedical applications.

中文翻译：

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无标记分子成像和拉曼光谱分析。

细胞的拉曼散射传达了生物分子化学结构固有的固有信息。拉曼散射光谱或拉曼光谱可在不中断的情况下对生物样品进行无标记和定量的分子传感。在过去的五十年中，拉曼光谱已被广泛用于生物学研究领域。然而，仅在最近十年之内，对活细胞和组织的分子成像和鉴别才变得切实可行。在这里，我们概述了拉曼光谱学及其在生命科学中的最新进展。我们讨论活细胞和组织中功能分子的成像；例如癌细胞和局部缺血或梗塞的心脏，以及在生物医学领域的大量研究。我们通过多变量分析（例如精确的周围神经检测）和心肌梗塞愈合过程中的组织学差异特征，进一步探索了对复杂频谱的全面理解。尽管仍然存在局限性，例如散射强度的弱点和综合分子分析中的实际困难，但相关技术的不断进步将使拉曼光谱在生物医学应用中得到更广泛的应用。