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  • Review Article
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Organic afterglow luminescence for disease diagnosis and treatment

Nature Reviews Bioengineering (2025)Cite this article

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Abstract

Afterglow luminescence imaging relies on the detection of photons from chemical or lattice defects after cessation of irradiation, enabling autofluorescence-free biomedical imaging with a higher signal-to-background ratio compared to fluorescence imaging. In particular, organic afterglow probes benefit from biocompatibility and can be designed with diverse molecular architectures and for various irradiation sources, including light, ultrasound and X-rays. In this Review, we first introduce the mechanisms governing afterglow emission. We then examine design strategies for organic afterglow probes, outlining strategies to improve their afterglow performance, particularly afterglow intensity, extended emission wavelengths, responsivity and diverse excitation sources, to allow bioimaging with high sensitivity and specificity in deep tissues. Finally, we highlight key biomedical applications in disease diagnosis and therapy and provide an overview of remaining challenges and opportunities of organic afterglow imaging.

Key points

  • Organic afterglow luminescence is a process that converts external excitation energy into storable chemical energy, which is then slowly released as light after irradiation ceases.

  • Organic afterglow luminescence probes typically include an afterglow initiator that generates reactive oxygen species upon irradiation, an afterglow substrate that reacts with reactive oxygen species to form a chemical defect and a relay unit that emits the afterglow.

  • Organic probes can be optimized to extend the afterglow wavelength, enhance brightness and allow activation by specific biomarkers.

  • Organic afterglow luminescence can be applied to various biomedical applications, including cancer diagnosis and treatment, inflammation imaging, and image-guided therapy.

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Fig. 1: Optical imaging modalities.
Fig. 2: Organic afterglow materials.
Fig. 3: Optimization of organic afterglow probes.
Fig. 4: Applications of organic afterglow luminescence imaging.
Fig. 5: Organic afterglow luminescence in therapy.

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Acknowledgements

We acknowledge financial support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (22274107) and the Outstanding Youth Fund of Jiangsu Province (BK20230009).

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  1. School of Nuclear Science and Technology, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China

    Liangyou Zhao & Qingqing Miao

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L.Z. researched data and contributed to the discussion of content and writing. Q.M. researched data and contributed to the discussion of content, writing, and reviewing/editing the manuscript before submission.

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Correspondence to Qingqing Miao.

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Zhao, L., Miao, Q. Organic afterglow luminescence for disease diagnosis and treatment. Nat Rev Bioeng (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s44222-025-00343-0

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