Nanophotonics

There is a critical need for the development of new technologies that can determine the early signs of diseases at the cellular level in real time, and allow treatment of diseases in a seamless fashion. Today, the amount of research in biomedical science and engineering at the molecular level is growing exponentially because of the availability of new investigative nanotools.

These new analytical tools are capable of probing the nanometer world and make it possible to characterize the chemical and mechanical properties of cells, discover novel phenomena and processes, and provide science with a wide range of methods, materials, devices and systems with unique characteristics.

Using nanobiosensors, we can probe individual chemical species in specific locations throughout a living cell. Tracking biochemical processes in intracellular environment can be performed in vivo with the use of molecular probes and nanosensors for molecular medicine applications. With powerful microscopy technologies using near-field optics, we can explore the biochemical processes and sub-microscopic structures of living cells at unprecedented resolutions.

In addition to detection of intracellular signals, we will develop photonics imaging labels for nanocarriers to be used in targeted delivery of drugs that have their shells conjugated with antibodies for targeting antigens and fluorescent chromophores for in vivo tracking.