Brain diseases, including tumors and neurodegenerative disorders, are among the most serious health problems. Non-invasively high-resolution imaging techniques are required to gain anatomical and functional information of the brain. In addition, efficient diagnosis technology is also needed to treat brain disease. Rare-earth based materials possess unique optical properties, superior magnetism, and high X-ray absorption abilities, enabling high-resolution imaging of the brain through magnetic resonance imaging, computed tomography imaging, and fluorescence imaging technologies. In addition, rare-earth based materials can be used for the detection, treatment, and regulation of brain diseases through fine modulation of their structures and functions. Importantly, rare-earth based materials coupled with biomolecules such as antibodies, peptides, and drugs are able to overcome the blood-brain barrier and can be used for targeted therapy.
In a new review published in Light Science & Applications , a team of scientists, led by Associate Professor Fan Wang from State Key Laboratory of Rare Earth Resource Utilization, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China, and co-workers have summarized the recent research and development of rare-earth based materials for brain imaging, therapy, monitoring, and neuromodulation.
RENPs are promising candidates for monitoring brain neuronal activity and diagnosing brain diseases due to their superior luminescent properties. UCNPs-mediated visualization of dynein-driven retrograde axonal transport provided insights into the mechanism of dynein movement, neurological disease pathology and the role of various neural circuits in the brain. Besides, by utilizing the Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) strategy between hexanitrodiphenylamine (DPA) and UCNPs, NIR-excited optical voltage sensors were designed to real-time monitor the neuronal activity
Optogenetics is an optical technique that exploits visible light to activate channel proteins expressed in specific cells for remote stimulation of specific neurons deep in the brain. However, the visible light is strongly scattered in the tissues and cannot penetrate deep into brain. In addition, optical fibers are always required and invaded into brain for the optogenetics. UCNP-mediated wireless optogenetics technology provides a minimally invasive technique that gets rid of the dependence on optical fibers, avoiding the damage to brain tissue caused by optical fibers. UCNP-mediated optogenetics realizes the activation / inhibition of neuronal cells, and further regulates the motor state and neural behavior of animals.
In the end, perspectives and potential challenges toward clinical application with rare-earth based materials are presented:
Light Science & Applications