Chapter 3: Lanthanides for Luminescent and Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Over recent decades, the lanthanide elements have become vital to the development of bio-analysis and bioimaging technologies. In this chapter we give a brief overview of two important areas of imaging applications using lanthanide-based probes with luminescence or magnetic resonance properties. Both molecular- and nanoparticle-based materials are considered, and context is provided on the design of such systems. Selected examples are provided to show the breadth of utility within bioimaging applications, including both in vitro and in vivo examples, as well as information on the development of responsive probes for real-time bio-analysis.