The results of the 2026 Guangdong Natural Science Foundation – Distinguished Young Scholar Program were announced recently, and the project “Integrated Acoustic–Optical Imaging with Cross-Scale Synchronous Acquisition” submitted by Associate Professor Jingqin Chen from the Center for Biomedical Optics and Molecular Imaging has been successfully funded.

Focusing on the clinical challenge of refractory rheumatoid arthritis, the project aims to address the unresolved interplay among synovial inflammatory molecules, immune cells, and pannus formation through the development of cross-scale synchronous imaging technologies. Building on previous work, the team will advance innovations such as liquid-lens–based continuous focusing to achieve tunable imaging resolution, enabling simultaneous multi-target monitoring of key inflammatory molecules, immune cells, and pannus structures. This technology will provide a dedicated tool for studying disease heterogeneity and supporting early diagnosis and intervention.

The project has already demonstrated preliminary success in the simultaneous imaging of inflammatory vasculature and macrophages, establishing a solid foundation for future studies. Moving forward, the team will accelerate technological development to deliver practical and scalable outcomes, contributing to the national Healthy China initiative.