Significance: Acoustically detecting the rich optical absorption contrast in biological tissues, photoacoustic tomography (PAT) seamlessly bridges the functional and molecular sensitivity of optical excitation with the deep penetration and high scalability of ultrasound detection. As a result of continuous technological innovations and commercial development, PAT has been playing an increasingly important role in life sciences and patient care, including functional brain imaging, smart drug delivery, early cancer diagnosis, and interventional therapy guidance. Aim: Built on our 2016 tutorial article that focused on the principles and implementations of PAT, this perspective aims to provide an update on the exciting technical advances in PAT. Approach: This perspective focuses on the recent PAT innovations in volumetric deep-tissue imaging, high-speed wide-field microscopic imaging, high-sensitivity optical ultrasound detection, and machine-learning enhanced image reconstruction and data processing. Representative applications are introduced to demonstrate these enabling technical breakthroughs in biomedical research. Conclusions: We conclude the perspective by discussing the future development of PAT technologies.

中文翻译：

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快速发展的光声断层扫描的展望

意义：光声断层扫描（PAT）通过声学方式检测生物组织中丰富的光学吸收对比度，将光学激发的功能和分子敏感性与超声波检测的深度穿透和高可扩展性无缝连接起来。由于不断的技术创新和商业发展，PAT在生命科学和患者护理中发挥着越来越重要的作用，包括功能性脑成像、智能药物输送、早期癌症诊断和介入治疗指导。目标：此观点基于我们 2016 年重点介绍 PAT 原理和实现的教程文章，旨在提供有关 PAT 令人兴奋的技术进步的最新信息。方法：本视角重点关注近期 PAT 在体积深层组织成像、高速宽视场显微成像、高灵敏度光学超声检测以及机器学习增强图像重建和数据处理方面的创新。介绍了代表性应用来展示生物医学研究中的这些技术突破。结论：我们通过讨论 PAT 技术的未来发展来总结这一观点。