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06 April 2017
OSA’s BioPhotonics Congress: Optics in the Life Sciences Congress Closes with Strong Attendance, Focus on the Latest Advancements in Bio-Optics, Microscopy, Molecular Probes, Optical Manipulations and Brain Imaging
6 April 2017
OSA’s BioPhotonics Congress: Optics in the Life Sciences Congress Closes with Strong Attendance, Focus on the Latest Advancements in Bio-Optics, Microscopy, Molecular Probes, Optical Manipulations and Brain Imaging
SAN DIEGO — The OSA BioPhotonics Congress: Optics in the Life Sciences concluded in San Diego with over 300 attendees and a robust technical program covering the ever increasing role of optics in biology and medicine. Today’s optical technologies can be used for imaging and sensing everything from molecules to man. The OSA BioPhotonics Congress was comprised of five topical meetings highlighting the role of optics in the study and treatment of various challenges in the life sciences ranging from molecular level investigations to clinical treatment of patients.“Each year OSA’s BioPhotonic Congress continues to grow in scope and depth of the science presented,” said General Chair, Irene Georgakoudi, Tufts University, USA. “Attendees to this congress had the opportunity to hear about exciting new advances in the development of optical probes, methods, and instruments that enable us to uncover new details about the structure and function of living tissues. Such discoveries can potentially impact significantly a number of fields in the life sciences and will ultimately improve or even completely change the way we detect and treat diseases.”
The expanded congress included comprehensive peer-reviewed technical sessions, an exhibition, events focused on career development for young investigators, technology commercialization and translation and ample opportunities to network. Research topics incorporated into the technical program included: Bio-Optics, Optics and the Brain, Optical Molecular Probes, Imaging and Drug Delivery, Optical Trapping Applications and Novel Techniques in Microscopy.
Keynote Programming
The Joint Plenary Session featured three notable researchers in BioPhotonics:
- Steven Chu, 1997 Nobel Prize in Physics, Stanford University, USA, New Probes and Approaches to Optical, Electron Microscopy and Future Applications
- Subra Suresh, President, Carnegie Mellon University, USA, Cell Biophysics and Human Diseases
- Laura Waller, University of California Berkeley, USA, Computational Microscopy for High-Throughput Science
Highlighted Research
Researchers from around the world presented industry-leading technical peer-reviewed papers on topics including:
- A Fine-tuned Microscopy Technique Offers Breakthrough Imaging of Melanoma — Researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital’s Wellman Center for Photomedicine have recently refined a classic Raman-based technique and succeeded in imaging the two dominant melanin molecules — a breakthrough that could lead to new understandings and, critically, early detection of melanoma.
- An LED-based Device for Imaging Radiation Induced Skin Damage — A research team from the Beckman Laser Institute (BLI) and Medical Clinic, and the Department of Radiation Oncology at the University of California, Irvine, has developed a technique known as spatial multiplexing that reshapes a laser beam into many spatial modes that can each carry information.
- Novel Multi-Modal Sub-Diffraction Imaging Modalities Enabled by Structured Illumination Microscopy — Duke University researchers have developed a new method to probe subtle cellular structural and functional properties that may improve our fundamental understanding of living cell processes and interactions.
OSA’s BioPhotonics Congress provided attendees from around the world with the opportunity to network, present, learn and connect. The 2018 OSA BioPhotonics Congress will be held in Hollywood, Florida from 2-6 April. Topical meetings will be hosted on: Cancer Imaging and Therapy, Clinical and Translational BioPhotonics, Optical Tomography and Spectroscopy and Optics and the Brain.
Thank you to our Congress Sponsors:
Silver Corporate Sponsors: Coherent, Hamamatsu, Spectra-Physics, Translational Vision Science & Technology (TVST) and Corporate Sponsor: American Elements
About The Optical Society
Founded in 1916, The Optical Society (OSA) is the leading professional organization for scientists, engineers, students and business leaders who fuel discoveries, shape real-life applications and accelerate achievements in the science of light. Through world-renowned publications, meetings and membership initiatives, OSA provides quality research, inspired interactions and dedicated resources for its extensive global network of optics and photonics experts. For more information, visit osa.org.
Media Contacts:
mediarelations@osa.org
Thank you to our Congress Sponsors:
Silver Corporate Sponsors: Coherent, Hamamatsu, Spectra-Physics, Translational Vision Science & Technology (TVST) and Corporate Sponsor: American Elements
About The Optical Society
Founded in 1916, The Optical Society (OSA) is the leading professional organization for scientists, engineers, students and business leaders who fuel discoveries, shape real-life applications and accelerate achievements in the science of light. Through world-renowned publications, meetings and membership initiatives, OSA provides quality research, inspired interactions and dedicated resources for its extensive global network of optics and photonics experts. For more information, visit osa.org.
Media Contacts:
mediarelations@osa.org
