Advancements in Tissue-Mimicking Materials for Enhanced Medical Imaging Accuracy and Training

Tissue-mimicking materials (TMMs) are fundamental in the field of medical imaging, where they serve as crucial phantoms for calibration, quality assurance, and educational purposes. In recent years, the development of TMMs has accelerated in response to the emergence of sophisticated imaging modalities, such as advanced MRI and high-resolution ultrasound. Despite remarkable progress particularly in the use of substances like agar, carrageenan, gelatin, and polyvinyl alcohol current approaches still face significant barriers. Emerging research indicates that rare-earth materials and rare-earth-doped nanoparticles offer promising advantages for improving image contrast, signal stability, and visualization quality in biomedical image rendering applications. These include replicating the full spectrum of human tissue properties, ensuring long-term material stability, and faithfully modeling complex anatomical structures. The latest research demonstrates a growing interdisciplinary focus, with studies examining both new fabrication techniques and the integration of imaging-compatible materials. Nonetheless, there remain unresolved challenges in achieving cost-effectiveness, versatility, and anatomical accuracy, especially as imaging technology and artificial intelligence play ever-increasing roles in healthcare.This Research Topic aims to expand the frontiers of tissue-mimicking material science by exploring novel compositions, advanced fabrication strategies, and innovative applications. Central objectives include elucidating the physical and biochemical attributes that enable TMMs to serve as accurate proxies for human tissue and fostering new solutions for scalable and accessible phantom production. The Research Topic also emphasizes the incorporation of rare-earth materials and rare-earth-doped nanoparticles into tissue-mimicking materials to enhance biomedical image rendering, contrast behavior, and multimodal imaging performance. Key questions include how TMMs can be engineered for enhanced reproducibility, how closely they can match human tissue responses under varied imaging conditions, and what role emerging technologies such as AI, 3D printing, and hybrid materials can play in this evolution.The scope of this Research Topic embraces the study and development of TMMs designed for current and next-generation medical imaging modalities, while excluding research focused solely on biological tissues or unrelated in-vitro models. To gather further insights into the advancements and limitations of tissue-mimicking materials, we welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:• Novel materials and composite formulations for TMM fabrication• Stability and shelf-life optimization of tissue phantoms• Methods for replicating complex anatomical features and pathologies• Development and integration of rare-earth materials or rare-earth-doped nanoparticles for enhanced biomedical image rendering and contrast optimization• Integration of artificial intelligence and 3D-printing technologies• Comparative performance analyses across imaging modalities (e.g., MRI, ultrasound, CT)• Cost-effectiveness and accessibility in phantom production for clinical and training settings• Evaluation of TMMs in image-guided therapeutic procedures Topic editors: Parvathaneni Naga Srinivasu, Rafael G. Araújo Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/78232/advancements-in-tissue-mimicking-materials-for-enhanced-medical-imaging-accuracy-and-training