  Brillouin imaging is increasingly recognized to be a powerful technique that
enables non-invasive measurement of the mechanical properties of cells and
tissues on a microscopic scale. This provides an unprecedented tool for
investigating cell mechanobiology, cell-matrix interactions, tissue
biomechanics in healthy and disease conditions and other fundamental biological
questions. Recent advances in optical hardware have particularly accelerated
the development of the technique, with increasingly finer spectral resolution
and more powerful system capabilities. We envision that further developments
will enable translation of Brillouin imaging to assess clinical specimens and
samples for disease screening and monitoring. The purpose of this review is to
summarize the state-of-the-art in Brillouin microscopy and imaging with a
specific focus on biological tissue and cell measurements. Key system and
operational requirements will be discussed to facilitate wider application of
Brillouin imaging along with current challenges for translation of the
technology for clinical and medical applications.

Biological Physics;Medical Physics