OSA biophotonics meeting draws 300+ attendees

The OSA BioPhotonics Congress: Optics in the Life Sciences, held April 2-5, 2017, in San Diego, CA, drew over 300 attendees and offered a technical program covering the ever-increasing role of optics in biology and medicine. The 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.

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.

The Joint Plenary Session featured three notable researchers in biophotonics:

• Steven Chu, 1997 Nobel Prize in Physics, Stanford University (Stanford, CA): New Probes and Approaches to Optical, Electron Microscopy and Future Applications;
• Subra Suresh, president, Carnegie Mellon University (Pittsburgh, PA): Cell Biophysics and Human Diseases; and
• Laura Waller, University of California Berkeley (Berkeley, CA): Computational Microscopy for High-Throughput Science
  

At the Congress, researchers presented technical peer-reviewed papers, including a refined Raman-based technique that can image the two dominant melanin molecules to detect melanoma early (Massachusetts General Hospital's Wellman Center for Photomedicine); an LED-based device for imaging radiation-induced skin damage (the Beckman Laser Institute and Medical Clinic, and the Department of Radiation Oncology at the University of California, Irvine); and structured illumination microscopy to probe subtle cellular structural and functional properties that may improve fundamental understanding of living cell processes and interactions (Duke University).

The 2018 OSA BioPhotonics Congress will be held April 2-6 in Hollywood, FL. Topical meetings will be hosted on Cancer Imaging and Therapy, Clinical and Translational BioPhotonics, Optical Tomography and Spectroscopy and Optics and the Brain.

For more information, please visit osa.org/100.