Stephen A. Boppart, Bliss Professor of Engineering
Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology
Departments of Bioengineering, Electrical and Computer
Engineering, and Medicine
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

“Translating Biophotonics Imaging into Medical and Surgical Applications”

Historically, histopathological observations of fixed and stained tissue sections made using bright-field light microscopes in the pathology department have represented the gold-standard for diagnosing most diseases. Essential for diagnosis is the ability to visualize the microscopic cellular and tissue architecture, as well as potential molecular alterations using special immunohistochemical stains.  New high-resolution optical imaging technologies capable of providing microscopic structural, molecular, or functional information about tissue, in real-time, and at the point-of-care, would provide innumerable benefits for disease screening, early detection, and more rapid diagnosis across a wide range of medical and surgical specialties.  Recent advances in label-free optical imaging technologies now make it possible to provide these capabilities and information, and importantly, do so without the use of exogenous contrast agents that can often limit translation because of regulatory hurdles.  This seminar will present several examples of label-free optical biomedical imaging technologies including optical coherence tomography, multi-photon microscopy, and coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering microscopy, all of which are at varying stages of clinical translation into human studies and commercial development. Current challenges in optical source development, system engineering, and clinical adoption will also be discussed.

Professor Boppart completed his Ph.D. in Medical and Electrical Engineering from MIT, and his M.D. from Harvard Medical School. He has over 230 invited and contributed publications and over 30 patents related to optical biomedical imaging technology. His Biophotonics Imaging Laboratory at the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology is focused on developing novel optical biomedical diagnostic and imaging technologies, and translating them into clinical applications. He has mentored over 80 undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate interdisciplinary researchers.  He was recognized by MIT’s Technology Review Magazine as one of the Top 100 Young Innovators in the World for his development of medical technology and received the Paul F. Forman Engineering Excellence Award from the Optical Society of America for dedication and advancement in undergraduate research education. He is a Fellow of IEEE, the Optical Society of America, and SPIE. Currently he is Director of a campus-wide Imaging at Illinois initiative to integrate imaging science, technology, and applications across multiple modalities and fields.

There will be a reception immediately prior to the seminar at 3:15.