director of Knowledge and Technology Transfer at the Institute of Photonic Sciences
Opinion
The important impact of photonics technology on the life sciences can be attributed to the generation of two closely related fields, green photonics and biophotonics. Both provide key tools to address the great challenges of our time.
Like any other sector, biotechnology is making advances to overcome current challenges. However the sector should not only be capable of reaching its goals but also set new ones. In this respect the power of light, which is the focus of photonic sciences, is an extremely valuable resource. Photonics is the determining factor in a range of fields in bioscience development: in biology, medicine, pharmacy, agri-food, quality control, and environmental conservation.
In terms of medicine and biology, the specific way in which biological tissues absorb, reflect and modify light offers infinite possibilities for the development of new, more precise, more delicate and less invasive techniques. Examples include well-established methods, such as diagnostic and laser treatment for ophthalmology and dermatology and more recent techniques like high-resolution imaging used in neurosurgery. Currently in development, and specifically focused on oncology, are minimally invasive diagnostic systems, that allow for precise and earlier diagnosis with less side effects; also super-resolution in vivo imaging techniques, capable of revealing the exact stage of disease development, allowing personalized medical treatment; and photodynamic and thermodynamic therapies, in which treatment only targets the affected area and not healthy tissue.
Other research studies in photonic medicine include non-invasive monitoring systems for heart deformities as well as functional brain imaging to study neurodegenerative diseases.
Similarly, photonic techniques have a place in other areas of bioscience and biotechnology: sensors to measure drug concentration in the blood; techniques to detect extremely small amounts of biochemical substances; devices to determine the ripeness of fruit or to detect the presence of chemical or biological toxins in food; and for water quality control, including waste treatment and detection of contaminants, and many more.
The important impact of photonics technology on the life sciences can be attributed to the generation of two closely related fields, green photonics and biophotonics. Both provide key tools to address the great challenges of our time, such as those associated with the environment, ageing population, cancer and cardiovascular diseases and neurodegenerative illnesses. As such, both fields are a worldwide priority for science and technology development as well as for industry and innovation.
In fact, photonics and biotechnology were identified as two of the five Key Enabling Technologies (KETs) for the coming decades, by the European Union. Biophotonics is the field where these two KETs overlap. At the international level, the Networks of Excellence, Photonics4Life and Biophotonics4Life World, coordinate many of the initiatives in this field. The Institute of Photonic Sciences (ICFO), is a leading node for both of these consortia acting as a link for all the members of the BioRegion of Catalonia interested in this area.
In this context, ICFO organized the first Light for Health forum in June this year, focusing on the applications of light in medicine and super-resolution imaging. More than 200 people from Catalonia, participated in this year’s event, together with international leaders, experts in a range of biophotonic technologies, from the United States, Canada and other European countries. The success of the first forum ensures that the Light for Health Forum will be repeated next year.