Next-generation functional diagnostic paradigm for musculoskeletal diseases based on live SWIR imaging.
11 affiliations
- 1Department of Sports Medicine, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
- 2Department of Mathematics, Toronto Metropolitan University, Toronto, ON, Canada.
- 3Department of Joint Replacement, Sports Medicine, and Trauma,Department of Orthopedics, Renji Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
- 4Department of Physics, Shanghai Normal University, Shanghai, China.
- 5Shanghai Institute of Technical Physics (SITP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Shanghai, China.
- 6Department of Anatomy and Physiology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
- 7Department of Anatomy and Physiology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China. [email protected].
- 8Shanghai Institute of Technical Physics (SITP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Shanghai, China. [email protected].
- 9Department of Sports Medicine, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China. [email protected].
- 10Department of Sports Medicine, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China. [email protected].
- 11Institutes of Integrative Medicine, Fudan University, Shanghai, China. [email protected].
Abstract
The pursuit of accurate diagnosis for musculoskeletal diseases has driven significant advancements in imaging technologies. However, fully understanding the complexity of the diseases requires monitoring multiple functional components, particularly during locomotion. Here, we present a live short-wave infrared (SWIR) imaging strategy designed to capture functional variations of musculoskeletal diseases in male murine models, and further extend it to male rabbit models and human knee joint. This approach directly visualized the kinematics of synovial fluid during normal locomotion, identifying distinct peak of fluid flow. When applied to injury evaluation, it revealed significant kinematic differences in patellar maltracking between isolated tendon injuries and combined tendon and muscle injuries, providing mechanical insights into their long-term outcomes. The versatility of this technique was further demonstrated by simultaneously examining bone and vascular kinematics during bone healing. This enabled the monitoring of large arteries in bone, and revealed an initial divergence from the bone regeneration. Overall, this advanced live SWIR imaging methodology enables dynamic, motion-robust, and multi-componential assessments of functional variations, positioning it as a next-generation functional diagnostic tool for musculoskeletal diseases.
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BibTeX
@article{li2026nextgeneration,
title = {{Next-generation functional diagnostic paradigm for musculoskeletal diseases based on live SWIR imaging.}},
author = {Huizhu Li and Sijia Feng and Juan Liyau and Huaixuan Sheng and Shunyao Li and Xiao Zhang and Mo Chen and Liman Sai and Lu Fang and Chengxuan Yu and Kai Xu and Yan Wo and You Liang and Shiyi Chen and Yueming Wang and Fuchun Chen and Yunxia Li and Jun Chen},
journal = {Nature communications},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.1038/s41467-026-77137-4},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42957699},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Next-generation functional diagnostic paradigm for musculoskeletal diseases based on live SWIR imaging.
AU - Huizhu Li
AU - Sijia Feng
AU - Juan Liyau
AU - Huaixuan Sheng
AU - Shunyao Li
AU - Xiao Zhang
AU - Mo Chen
AU - Liman Sai
AU - Lu Fang
AU - Chengxuan Yu
AU - Kai Xu
AU - Yan Wo
AU - You Liang
AU - Shiyi Chen
AU - Yueming Wang
AU - Fuchun Chen
AU - Yunxia Li
AU - Jun Chen
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/14
JO - Nature communications
DO - 10.1038/s41467-026-77137-4
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42957699
AB - The pursuit of accurate diagnosis for musculoskeletal diseases has driven significant advancements in imaging technologies. However, fully understanding the complexity of the diseases requires monitoring multiple functional components, particularly during locomotion. Here, we present a live short-wave infrared (SWIR) imaging strategy designed to capture functional variations of musculoskeletal diseases in male murine models, and further extend it to male rabbit models and human knee joint. This approach directly visualized the kinematics of synovial fluid during normal locomotion, identifying distinct peak of fluid flow. When applied to injury evaluation, it revealed significant kinematic differences in patellar maltracking between isolated tendon injuries and combined tendon and muscle injuries, providing mechanical insights into their long-term outcomes. The versatility of this technique was further demonstrated by simultaneously examining bone and vascular kinematics during bone healing. This enabled the monitoring of large arteries in bone, and revealed an initial divergence from the bone regeneration. Overall, this advanced live SWIR imaging methodology enables dynamic, motion-robust, and multi-componential assessments of functional variations, positioning it as a next-generation functional diagnostic tool for musculoskeletal diseases.
SN - 2041-1723
ER -