Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging (FLIM)
Fluorescence lifetime imaging is an optical imaging technique in which the brightness of each pixel represents fluorescence lifetime – rather than optical intensity. The fluorescence lifetime is a characteristic time during which a molecule remains in its excited state before emitting a photon. This characteristic time depends not only on the specific fluorophore but also on its environment. Molecular interactions influence relaxation processes and modify fluorophore lifetimes. Therefore, FLIM can discriminate different stages of molecular interaction.
