Vision, Goals, and Thematic Basis

Biophotonics, the use of photonics technology in biological/biomedical applications, has already yielded significant innovations in the treatment and understanding of health problems. Treatment methodologies range from simple applications such as tattoo removal to complicated techniques such as photodynamic therapy for cancer treatment.  More recently, there has been significant interest in the use of biological specimens and/or techniques as key elements in the development of new photonic devices for use in non-health related applications.

The nature of the problems in biophotonics requires a trans-disciplinary approach that involves biologists, chemists, physicists, medical professionals and engineers working in close cooperation. At the present time, most research being conducted in biophotonics tends to involve interactions between groups that have closely related abilities, or groups that bring specific and complementary abilities to the particular project.  Typically, the individual researchers do not have a broad base of knowledge crossing the many disciplinary boundaries needed in biophotonics.

Here, we propose to develop a multidisciplinary graduate education, research and training program in Biophotonics that will integrate knowledge of lasers, photonics technology and biology.  This program will provide students and faculty with a collection of scientific and engineering tools and the expertise necessary to perform biomedical research at the molecular, cellular and tissue levels and the ability to perform research on bio-inspired photonic devices. To the best of our knowledge, this will be the only such biophotonics program in the country.  The Institute for Lasers, Photonics and Biophotonics at the University at Buffalo (UB) was created in November 1999 with the specific mission of integrating research and development in lasers, photonic devices and biophotonics, and in providing technology transfer to industry.  The overarching goal of the proposed IGERT program is to produce PhD graduates who have a broad base of knowledge in all the disciplines and technologies necessary to carry out research and development in Biophotonics.

The education of students currently participating in biophotonics research is highly “departmentalized”; students are educated primarily in a single discipline through course work in a particular department.  It is still rare for students to venture significantly beyond their specific academic department and to develop the breadth of experiences and expertise necessary for biophotonics. Thus it is imperative to develop new curricula and research experiences for graduate students that will facilitate initiation and nurturing of synergistic relationships and exchange of ideas among faculty in engineering, physics, chemistry, biology, and the medical school, as well as with clinical faculty. We anticipate that this synergism will lead to new educational approaches and new technologies in biophotonics that will serve as a national model. Furthermore, we expect that new research synergies will arise from the newly formed interplay between ongoing research activities, as mediated by the IGERT-supported students.  In effect, this program will build upon existing funded research activities and produce new research activities with collective activity that is more than the sum of individual efforts. Most importantly, this IGERT program will prepare our graduates for a new way of conducting research and for a broad spectrum of career opportunities in biophotonic technology in industry, government and academia.