Biophotonics

Biophotonics is the general term for applications of photonics in biology.

Biophotonics is therefore the collective term for all techniques related to the interaction of organic matter and photons, the quanta of light, deal. Which relates to emission, absorption, reflection, scattering (Physics ) or other interactions of electromagnetic radiation in the visible, near infrared and ultraviolet range of living organisms, or organic material.

These include the exploration of different luminescence effects of biological tissue or microscopic methods such as laser scanning microscopy or medical procedures such as photodynamic therapy. Other areas of biophotonics use light as a kind of miniature tool: Using optical tweezers cells and cell components can be held and moved, with the nano- laser scalpel cuts are performed within a cell. Widely used today is already the LASIK for the correction of refractive errors in the human eye.

Biophotonics in Germany

Biophotonics has for many years also been the subject of research funding by the BMBF, as resulting from the combination of optical technologies and issues in the field of Life Science, the potential for many new applications with large economic prospects. An overview of the materials handling state of biophotonics in Germany, the study provides " Biophotonics - Where are we going? " which was published in 2005 by Kraus Technology Consulting and Deloitte Business Consulting.

History

Historically, may be regarded as the forefather of biophotonics Antoni van Leeuwenhoek in the 17th century, the ever manufactured some of the first microscopes themselves and thus was able to perform the first studies of microorganisms and cells.

Another pioneer of biophotonics is seen in Robert Koch, who is working with Ernst Abbe of new techniques and improvements in optical microscopes. This interdisciplinary collaboration was one of the foundations for the groundbreaking discoveries of Robert Koch.

One aspect of biophotonics, which deals with spontaneous light emission from biological tissue, goes back to work of the Russian biologist Alexander Gurwitsch from the 1920s. This struck before experiments with germinating onions that living cells emit a very faint light rays. He called them " mitogenic radiation", because of its assumption that this radiation could trigger cell division (mitosis ). A thereof the following, controversial Assessed branch of research in biophotonics, which deals with the interpretation of these spontaneous light emission, is located in the article " biophoton ".

The modern biophotonics as an application of photonics to the study of biological tissues was essentially the end of the 1990s by the development of modern laser technology.