Biophotonics

Hindawi Publishing Corporation
Advances in Optical Technologies

Volume 2008, Article ID 134215, 2 pages
doi:10.1155/2008/134215
Editorial
Biophotonics
Stoyan Tanev,1 Brian C. Wilson,2 Valery V. Tuchin,3 and Dennis Matthews4

1 Department of Systems and Computer Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Design, Carleton University,
Ottawa, ON, Canada K1S 5B6
2 Division of Biophysics and Bioimaging, Ontario Cancer Institute, University Health Network and University of Toronto,
Toronto, ON, Canada M5G 2M9

3 Research-Educational Institute of Optics and Biophotonics, Saratov State University, 410012 Saratov, Russia
4 Center for Biophotonics Science and Technology and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory,
University of California Davis, CA 95817, USA
Correspondence should be addressed to Stoyan Tanev, tanev@sce.carleton.ca
Received 19 November 2008; Accepted 19 November 2008
Copyright © 2008 Stoyan Tanev et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License,
which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
The application of innovative optical technologies in biological properties. Biology has also advanced photonics,
medicine, biology, agriculture, environmental sciences, and since biomaterials have shown a great promise as new
public health has emerged as one of the new paradigms photonic media for technological applications. The collective
in today’s knowledge economy. This convergence between effects of this revolution have already influenced the quality
optical and biosciences is due to the recent significant of human life and behavior in a way that was never imagined
advances of photonics and biotechnologies driven by the before.
various health, environment, and defense challenges faced by Along with the positive aspects of this revolution, there
humanity at the beginning of 21st century. come some potential negative aspects. They include, to name
Biophotonics technologies can impact biomedical a few, an increased potential for human plagues caused
research and human health, since they can yield the by the increased rates of human contact and resistance
critical information bridging molecular structure and to antibiotics, agricultural plagues exacerbated by extensive
physiological function, which is the most important process use of single-genetic-strain crops and livestock, and pur-
in understanding, treating, and preventing a disease, as posely induced plagues of human or agricultural pathogens:
well as in pathology in general. As increasingly aging world bio- and agroterrorism. Significant international medical,
population represents new health problems, biophotonics agricultural, and environmental science research activities
offer great hope for the early detection of diseases and are directed to the development of pathogen detection
for new technologies for light-guided and light-activated and identification systems that are lower in cost, more
therapies. These technologies continue to advance at a biochemically specific, more accurate, faster, smaller, less
spectacular rate, contributing to the growth of novel demanding of infrastructure, and more accessible to a larger
platforms that affect medical healthcare in virtually all number of people. The role of biophotonics in these research
medical specialties. and development efforts is significant.
Advances in photonics have contributed dramatically to The aim of this special issue is to provide a snapshot of
the biological revolution that is being currently witnessed. recent progress in biophotonics and point out the emerging
Very few biological science disciplines have not been touched future developments in this broad and rapidly evolving field.
by photonics, since optical methods play a critical role in The guest editors have previously cooperated in running a
biotechnologies, ranging from genomics to cell-based assays, similar project (Advances in Biophotonics, B. C. Wilson, V. V.
providing new knowledge on individual life forms and their Tuchin and S. Tanev, Eds., NATO Science Series I: Life and
related biochemistry, on how living things interact with each Behavioural Sciences, vol. 369, IOS Press, Amsterdam, 2005),
other, and on how new and emerging optical technologies and are firmly convinced in the value of such initiatives.
could be used to measure, quantify, and understand their Although the objectives of this special issue and of our
2 Advances in Optical Technologies
previous publication are practically the same, there are a

number of qualitative points of difference that are largely due
to the way biophotonics research and development (R&D)
has progressed in the last four years. Biophotonics R&D in
2009 could be characterized by a greater focus on (i) nano-
biophotonics and, specifically, nanoplasmonics, (ii) a higher
degree of applicability of biosensing techniques, and (iii) a
stronger link to the clinical realm.
These three trends are clearly visible in the articles
published in this issue. All the articles are invited reviews or
invited research papers by leading biophotonics researchers
and research groups from universities, as well as industry
and government laboratories, and they can be structured in
three major themes: (i) biophotonics instrumentation and
experimental techniques, (ii) biophotonic sensors, and (iii)
nano-biophotonics:
(I) Biophotonics instrumentation and

experimental techniques
“A ratiometric fluorescence imaging system for surgical guid-
ance” by E. Moriyama et al.; “5-ALA mediated fluorescence
detection of gastrointestinal tumors” by E. Borisova et al.;
“The impact of autonomic dysreflexia on blood flow and
skin response in individuals with spinal cord injury” by J. C.
Ramella-Roman et al.; and “Optical clearing of cranial bone”
by E. Genina et al.
(II) Biophotonics sensors

“Optical biomedical diagnostics: sensors with optical
response based on two-photon excited luminescent dyes for
biomolecule detection” by V. Yashchuk et al. and “Sensitive
label-free biomolecular detection using thin silicon waveg-
uides” by Adam Densmore et al.
(III) Nano-biophotonics
“Nanotomography of cell surfaces with evanescent fields”
by M. Wagner et al.; “A proposed method for thermal
specific bioimaging and therapy technique for diagnostic
and treatment of malignant tumors by using magnetic
nanoparticles” by I. M. Gescheit et al.; “Ultra-short laser
pulse heating of nanoparticles: Comparison of theoretical
approaches” by Renat Letfullin et al.; and “A new 3D
simulation method for the construction of optical phase
contrast images of gold nanoparticle clusters in biological
cells” by S. Tanev et al.
The authors are grateful to all contributors for their
constructive cooperation in providing informative overviews
of their respective topics and new insights into ongoing and
potential developments. They have greatly enjoyed the design
and preparation of this special issue and strongly believe that
it will be valuable to those working in this multidisciplinary
field by helping its advances in new and inspiring directions.
Stoyan Tanev
Brian C. Wilson
Valery V. Tuchin
Dennis Matthews

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Hindawi Publishing Corporation

Advances in Optical Technologies

Stoyan Tanev,1 Brian C. Wilson,2 Valery V. Tuchin,3 and Dennis Matthews4

Toronto, ON, Canada M5G 2M9

University of California Davis, CA 95817, USA

Correspondence should be addressed to Stoyan Tanev, tanev@sce.carleton.ca

Received 19 November 2008; Accepted 19 November 2008

previous publication are practically the same, there are a

(I) Biophotonics instrumentation and

(II) Biophotonics sensors

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