Shining a light on clinical spectroscopy: Translation of diagnostic IR, 2D-IR and Raman spectroscopy towards the clinic

In recent years, the application of vibrational spectroscopy in biomedical research has rapidly expanded; covering aspects of pharmaceutical development, to point-of-care technologies. Vibrational spectroscopy techniques such as Fourier-transform IR (FTIR), and Raman spectroscopy have been at the forefront of this movement, with their complementary information able to shine light onto a range of medical applications. As a relative newcomer to biomedical applications, two-dimensional (2D)-IR is also gaining traction in the field. Here we describe the recent development of these techniques as analytical tools in medical science, and their relative advancements towards the clinic.