BU, UC Davis Launch Biophotonics Center

A new research collaboration will be formed by Boston University and the University of California, Davis, under a grant from the National Science Foundation that fosters university-industry collaboration. The new Center for Biophotonic Sensors and Systems will be the only cooperative research center in the country focused solely on biophotonic sensors.

The Center for Biophotonic Sensors and Systems (CBSS) is one of 50 centers across the country funded by the National Science Foundation Industry/University Cooperative Research Center award and will be launched by the Boston University Photonics Center and the Center for Biophotonics Science and Technology (CBST) at UC Davis.

Research under the auspices of CBSS, and conducted at the existing facilities at BU and UC Davis, will focus on combining photonics engineering and life sciences to improve tools and tchniques for disease diagnosis, drug-efficacy testing, patient monitoring, and food and water safety.

"The ultimate goal of the center is to use photonics as a driver for early disease detection, reduction of health care costs, speedier and more effective treatment through personalized care and better patient outcomes," said BU's Thomas Bifano, the first director of the new center.

Gabriela Lee, CBST's industry liaison, said the collaborative's framework provides plenty of potential for faculty and industry partners to work together on basic research that ultimately will benefit everyone. The center also will provide opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students to work toward careers as engineers and scientists.

The two biophotonics programs specifically plan to focus their research on biospectroscopy using advanced optical components, single-cell capture flow cytometry, adaptive beam control for deep-tissue two-photon imaging, and live-cell 3-D superresolution microscopy, she said.

Industry members will direct the center research. The initial research programs will be determined at a meeting April 28 and 29 at BU. Benefits to industry members include opportunities for precompetitive collaboration with industry counterparts, access to a pipeline of trained graduate students, enhanced technology transfer opportunities, rights to license intellectual property related to the program, access to the breadth of each university’s research as well as access to supplemental funding opportunities through other NSF programs.

The April meeting is open to all potential industry members; voting rights will be limited to those who have signed the membership agreement. Registration fees are waived for this meeting. For more information and to register, visit: www.bu.edu/cbss