Lanthanide carriers: biomedical imaging redefined

Abstract

Lanthanide-based carriers have emerged as powerful platforms for next-generation biomedical imaging, combining unique optical and magnetic features to address key limitations of conventional agents. Owing to their 4f electron configuration, lanthanide ions provide sharp emission lines, long lifetimes, high photostability, and strong paramagnetism, enabling high-resolution, multiplexed, and deep-tissue imaging with minimal photodamage. This review surveys recent advances across optical, X-ray, and magnetic resonance modalities, focusing on how material design influences performance. We examine representative carriers, such as lanthanidedoped nanoparticles, organic complexes, and lanthanide-binding proteins, and their roles in near-infrared (NIR) imaging (long-term single-particle tracking, molecular sensing, and NIR-II modalities), X-ray imaging (contrast media, scintillators, and persistent emitters for low-dose diagnostics), and magnetic resonance imaging (chemical and biosynthetic agents with enhanced relaxivity, specificity, and safety, including targeted protein constructs). We highlight molecular engineering and surface modification strategies that boost signal and biocompatibility, and discuss emerging directions such as artificial intelligence-enabled data analysis and the integration of multimodal probes to deliver integrated anatomical and functional information. While most advances are still at the proof-of-concept stage, lanthanide carriers show great potential for bridging materials science, biophysics, and clinical needs, and are reshaping biomedical imaging toward more precise, responsive, and personalized diagnostics.

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Cite

BibTeX RIS

BibTeX

@article{liu2026lanthanide,
  title = {{Lanthanide carriers: biomedical imaging redefined}},
  author = {Yuxia Liu and Zixuan Chen and Mingyu Sui and Hongxuan Wang and Marco Bettinelli and Luís D Carlos and Daniel Jaque and Oscar L Malta and Jorge Méndez-Ramos and Cyrille Richard and Bruno Viana and Ka-Leung Wong and Xiaogang Liu},
  journal = {Frontiers in Science and Engineering  International Journal},
  year = {2026},
  month = jul,
  doi = {10.3389/fsci.2026.1856377},
  url = {https://hal.science/hal-05805470v1},
  note = {CC BY 4.0},
}

RIS

TY  - JOUR
TI  - Lanthanide carriers: biomedical imaging redefined
AU  - Yuxia Liu
AU  - Zixuan Chen
AU  - Mingyu Sui
AU  - Hongxuan Wang
AU  - Marco Bettinelli
AU  - Luís D Carlos
AU  - Daniel Jaque
AU  - Oscar L Malta
AU  - Jorge Méndez-Ramos
AU  - Cyrille Richard
AU  - Bruno Viana
AU  - Ka-Leung Wong
AU  - Xiaogang Liu
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/07/30
JO  - Frontiers in Science and Engineering  International Journal
DO  - 10.3389/fsci.2026.1856377
UR  - https://hal.science/hal-05805470v1
AB  - Lanthanide-based carriers have emerged as powerful platforms for next-generation biomedical imaging, combining unique optical and magnetic features to address key limitations of conventional agents. Owing to their 4f electron configuration, lanthanide ions provide sharp emission lines, long lifetimes, high photostability, and strong paramagnetism, enabling high-resolution, multiplexed, and deep-tissue imaging with minimal photodamage. This review surveys recent advances across optical, X-ray, and magnetic resonance modalities, focusing on how material design influences performance. We examine representative carriers, such as lanthanidedoped nanoparticles, organic complexes, and lanthanide-binding proteins, and their roles in near-infrared (NIR) imaging (long-term single-particle tracking, molecular sensing, and NIR-II modalities), X-ray imaging (contrast media, scintillators, and persistent emitters for low-dose diagnostics), and magnetic resonance imaging (chemical and biosynthetic agents with enhanced relaxivity, specificity, and safety, including targeted protein constructs). We highlight molecular engineering and surface modification strategies that boost signal and biocompatibility, and discuss emerging directions such as artificial intelligence-enabled data analysis and the integration of multimodal probes to deliver integrated anatomical and functional information. While most advances are still at the proof-of-concept stage, lanthanide carriers show great potential for bridging materials science, biophysics, and clinical needs, and are reshaping biomedical imaging toward more precise, responsive, and personalized diagnostics.
SN  - 2028-7615
ER  -

Abstract

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