Abstract:
Ultraviolet (UV) light is emerging as an important tool for biosensing, biomedical signal readout, and dose monitoring because of its strong and selective interactions with nucleic acids, proteins, and other biological components. This review summarizes recent progress in UV sensing-guided biomedical systems, with emphasis on three interconnected directions: label-free and surface-weighted imaging, wearable and embedded UV dosimetry, and sensor-assisted therapeutic guidance. Representative examples include ultraviolet photoacoustic microscopy (UV-PAM) for label-free nuclear imaging, microscopy with ultraviolet surface excitation (MUSE) for rapid slide-free histology-like readout, epidermal and flexible UV dosimeters for skin-level exposure quantification, and UV therapeutic platforms that are increasingly supported by sensing, dosimetry, and feedback for safer dose delivery. Across these applications, we emphasize the shared biosensing principles of signal generation, optical or acoustic transduction, quantitative readout, calibration, and feedback-informed decision support. We also discuss the role of artificial intelligence in virtual staining, image enhancement, domain correction, dose prediction, and decision support. The review concludes with key translational challenges in standardization, uncertainty quantification, multimodal integration, and feedback-driven system design. Overall, this sensing-centered perspective helps define the role of UV technologies more clearly within biosensors-oriented biomedical engineering.