Special Issue Intro: The Emergence Of Biotechnology and Biomedicine

This month's feature section highlighting biomedical optics reflects OSA's strong and growing emphasis on this emerging field. In our opening article, Tom Baer (Biometric Imaging) describes how optics-related technologies are making inroads in biotechnology and healthcare. Chris Contag (Stanford Univ.) reports on just-published results using a bioluminescent tag to label a pathogen and track its progression through a living animal. Optical techniques available for biodiagnostics is covered by Eva M. Sevick-Muraca and colleagues (Purdue Univ.).

Viewing Disease Progression Through a Bioluminescent Window

Bioluminescent markers for biological processes permit noninvasive detection in living animals, which can accelerate novel drug development, increase our understanding of gene regulation, and facilitate assessment of genetic therapies.

The Role of Optics in Biotechnology

Baer describes how optics-related technologies are making inroads in the biotechnology and healthcare fields. He covers scientific as well as clinical instrumentation.

Optical Tissue Biodiagnostics Using Fluorescence Lifetime

THE AUTHORS BRIEFLY HIGHLIGHT OPTICAL TECHNIQUES AVAILABLE FOR BIODIAGNOSTICS, DESCRIBE THE DIFFICULTY OF TISSUE SCATTERING WHICH LIMITS THEIR APPLICATION TO TISSUES, AND FINALLY DESCRIBE ONE APPROACH THAT CIRCUMVENTS THIS DIFFICULTY: FLUORESCENCE LIFETIME OF ENDOGENOUS (NATIVE) OR EXOGENOUS (ARTIFICIALLY INTRODUCED) COMPOUNDS FOR METABOLIC MONITORING.

Education: Tucson Organizations Bring Optics into Schools

Light Touch: Fun with lightsticks

Scatterings: Strong Market Forecast For SiC Components

Capital Eye: Science, Technology, Politics, and Bill Clinton

Scatterings: Law Enforcement Use of Military Laser Raises Safety Concerns

Scatterings: FDA Approves Laser Vision Correction

Scatterings: New Lithography Method Uses Light To Exceed The Limits Of Light

Scatterings: Report Assesses Future of U.S. Rat Panel Display Industry