The sources and structures of dyes used to colour Western historical textiles are described in this tutorial review. Most blue and purple colours were derived from indigo—obtained either from woad or from the indigo plant—though some other sources (e.g. shellfish and lichens) were used. Reds were often anthraquinone derivatives obtained from plants or insects. Yellows were almost always flavonoid derivatives obtained from a variety of plant species. Most other colours were produced by over-dyeing—e.g. greens were obtained by over-dyeing a blue with a yellow dye. Direct analysis of dyes isolated from artefacts allows comparison with the historical record.

Stimulated Raman scattering and the use of bioorthogonal tags provide novel imaging platforms to facilitate the drug discovery process.

Stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) microscopy in tandem with bioorthogonal Raman labelling enables intracellular drug concentrations, distribution and therapeutic response to be measured in living cells.