Among conferences new this year at the Biomedical Optics Symposium (BiOS, to be held February 2–7, 2013, in San Francisco, CA) are one on optogenetics and hybrid-optical control of cells. The conference will begin Saturday and Sunday with keynote addresses by Karl Deisseroth of Stanford University and Ernst Bamberg of Max-Planck-Institut für Biophysik, respectively. Deisseroth will review development and application of optogenetics (see "Optogenetics studies show that different stressors induce depression in distinct ways," p. 6), while Bamberg will discuss light-gated ion channels and pumps as optogenetic tools in neuro- and cell biology.
Bamberg will also present on this topic at the popular Saturday evening BiOS Hot Topics plenary event. Other speakers are Ben Potsaid of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) on technology to enable ultrahigh-speed optical coherence tomography (OCT); Dan Oron of Israel's Weizmann Institute on patterned multiphoton photoactivation in scattering tissue; and Jonathan Sorger of Intuitive Surgical, Inc., on clinical requirements for optical imaging in medical robotics. Also, Bernard Choi of the Beckman Laser Institute will speak on camera-based functional imaging of tissue hemodynamics; and Mathias Fink of Institute ESPCI in France will discuss a multiwave approach to elasticity imaging for cancer detection. Joe Culver of Washington University in St. Louis is sure to fascinate the audience with his talk on functional optical imaging of the brain, while Vladimir Zharov of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences will give an update on photoacoustic flow cytometry of circulating blood.
The two BiOS co-chairs—OCT pioneer James Fujimoto of MIT and R. Rox Anderson of Massachusetts General Hospital and the Harvard School of Medicine—will kick off the Hot Topics session. This year will be a bit different, as the program will include presentation of the SPIE Britton Chance Biomedical Optics Award to Dr. Fujimoto. The award recognizes his research in OCT and its development as a clinical tool. According to Stephen A. Boppart, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, "Few researchers in the world today have had such a profound impact as a result of their technological work that has literally changed our field, changed the way we practice medicine, and directly improved the lives of perhaps hundreds of thousands of patients."
Another award, this one being presented for the first time, is the Biophotonics Technology Innovator Award, which SPIE plans to issue annually to recognize achievements showing strong promise for great impact. The award will go to UCLA's Aydogan Ozcan, who "stands out as truly exceptional with regards to clear-sightedness in research, ingenuity of approach, effectiveness in completion of the research projects, and publication record," according to Bahram Jalali, Northrop Grumman Endowed Chair and Professor, UCLA.
BioOptics World offers its congratulations to the award winners, and invites you to visit our booth (#8824). We'd love to hear what's on your mind, and we look forward to all the excitement on tap at BiOS. See you there!
