Innovations in single-molecule imaging for early disease identification and the advanced use of femtosecond lasers for spectroscopic analysis of samples will converge with discussions on early child development and DNA tracking at the SPIE BiOS symposium, which will open the proceedings of Photonics West 2026. Conference presentations, industry talks, panel discussions, poster sessions, and demonstrations of newly released optics and photonics technologies will be aimed at health monitoring and uncovering the formation of basic organisms. The event takes place on Jan. 17 and 18 at the Moscone Center in San Francisco. (From left) Nandi Wu of Liquid Instruments explains the functionality of AR/VR technology as Michael Schlagmüller and Thomas Hayes of Swabian Instruments demonstrate its use at last year’s SPIE BiOS Expo. Courtesy of SPIE. The symposium will be chaired by Laura Marcu of the University of California, Davis, and Rainer Leitgeb of the Medical University of Vienna. The program will include sessions covering modalities such as photoacoustic imaging and quantum measurement, as well as industry talks on advancements in sample positioning solutions for superresolution, presented by Thomas Bocher of Physik Instrumente. “Piezo-flexure-based, nanometer-precise positioners made the discovery and invention of superresolution microscopy techniques possible,” Bocher said. “It was essential to have a reference method to proof the sample location within a higher precision of ±5 nm as the new superresolution microscopy technique itself.” Visitors to the BiOS trade show learn from top companies in the industry about how optical innovations aid biomedical and life sciences research. Courtesy of SPIE. This year’s biophotonics-focused plenary will be titled “Light-Based Technologies for Reproductive, Maternal and Neonatal Health.” Featured speakers will include Irina Larina of the Baylor College of Medicine, who will offer insights into the mysteries of female reproductive physiology through dynamic optical investigation, and Heli Koskimäki, of Oura in Finland, who will discuss wearable biophotonics for women’s health and understanding body signals through longitudinal sensing. Once again, a highlight of the program will be the rapid-fire presentation of next-generation optical approaches to discoveries in biology and medicine during the Hot Topics sessions on Saturday evening. Topics will include: “From DNA nanotechnology to biomedical insight: Toward single-molecule spatial omics” (Ralf Jungmann of the Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry); “Chemical imaging sheds new light on health and longevity” (Meng Wang of Howard Hughes Medical Institute); “Optical angular momentum as a tool for next-generation tissue diagnostics” (Igor Meglinski of Aston University); “Nondestructive 3D pathology and analysis for oncology” (Jonathan T.C. Liu of Stanford University); and “Advancing immunotherapy with single-cell autofluorescence lifetime technologies” (Melissa Skala of Morgridge Institute for Research). “I hope people will see that photonics technologies are critical to advancing immunotherapies for cancer patients, because immune cells are dynamic and heterogeneous,” said Skala, who will also be part of a panel discussion on digital twins in biomedicine. “Sensors and imaging technologies based on photonics can provide insight into single-cell function during rapid immune responses.” Ruikang Wang, a professor in the bioengineering department at the University of Washington, delivers a speech after accepting the 2025 Britton Chance Biomedical Optics Award. Courtesy of SPIE. Hot Topics will also include the presentation of the 2026 Britton Chance Biomedical Optics Award and the Biophotonics Technology Innovator Award. Application tracks Academic sessions at the BiOS conference will be divided into several application tracks: Medical Photonics: Therapeutics and Diagnostics. Presenters will cover areas including quantitative laparoscopic fluorescence imaging-guided chemophototherapy and deep learning-enabled detection of bacterial swarming from a single image. The co-chairs are Brian Jet-Fei Wong of the Beckman Laser Institute at the University of California, Irvine, and Gabriela Apiou of the Wellman Center for Photomedicine at Harvard Medical School. Neurophotonics, Neurosurgery, and Optogenetics. Sessions will range from fast volumetric miniaturized two-photon microscopy in freely moving mice with elliptical beam excitation to low-cost near-infrared spectroscopy for absolute cerebral oxygen monitoring in pediatric sickle cell disease. The co-chairs are Anna Roe of the Nathan Kline Institute and Shy Shoham of New York University. Technologies for Translational Biophotonics. Experts will explore visualizing and quantifying drugs in tissue and wearable biophotonic lensing via collinear light-sound interactions with dynamic focus control. The co-chairs are Tuan Vo-Dinh of Duke University and Anita Mahadevan-Jansen of Vanderbilt University. Tissue Optics and Light-Tissue Interaction. Scientists will reveal experimentation in the realms of advancing evanescent light scattering microscopy for single-particle characterization of gene delivery nanoparticles and femtosecond laser corneal damage thresholds at near-infrared wavelengths. E. Duco Jansen of Vanderbilt University and Jessica C. Ramella-Roman of Florida International University will serve as co-chairs. Biomedical Spectroscopy, Microscopy, and Imaging. Attendees in this track will garner insights into applications such as digital defocus aberration interference for autofocusing and digital refocusing in microscopy and label-free imaging of mouse embryo hemodynamics. Ammasi Periasamy of the University of Virginia and Daniel L. Farkas of the University of Southern California are co-chairs. Nano/Biophotonics. Presenters will cover nanoscale applications for measurement and intervention — for example, quantum optical effects in neuronal microtubules (such as superradiance under structural disorder) and the ultraviolet-spectral cutoff of aqueous buffer, salt, and acid-base solutions. Co-chairs of the track are Paras Prasad of the University of Buffalo and Ewa M. Goldys of the University of South Wales. Best Paper Awards The BiOS Best Paper Awards will be bestowed on researchers offering unique approaches to using nanoparticles and optical sensors in applications such as high-speed imaging and spectroscopy. The awards will be sponsored by companies such as BaySpec, Prizmatix, Ocean Optics, PicoQuant, Hitachi, Nippon Electric Glass, Prospective Instruments, Tokyo Instruments, Yokogawa, OZ Optics, Hamamatsu Corp., Heraeus Covantics, and LIV Medtech Inc. BiOS Expo A highlight of the event is the annual exhibition, which attracts companies offering imaging and spectroscopic systems designed to identify cellular changes connected with disease and biological development. The components of these systems — ranging from lenses to objectives to optical filters — will also be on display, enabling data gathering and composite imaging of diseases and the chemical makeup of samples. Many companies will offer both demonstrations and cutting-edge applications of laser technology, including multiline modules that can be used for everything from multiphoton microscopy to optogenetics. Michalina Gora-Gioux, a group leader at the Wyss Center, speaks during the 2025 BiOS Hot Topics program on the gut-brain connection. A column from Gora-Gioux on this topic appears in this edition of BioPhotonics. Courtesy of SPIE. Companies in this year’s show include Armadillo SIA, Becker & Hickl GmbH, Boston Electronics, Carl Zeiss Microscopy GmbH, Chroma Technology Corp., Coherent Corp., DRS Daylight Solutions, Excelitas, Feinwerkoptik Zünd AG, Hübner Photonics, IPS, Iridian Spectral Technologies, Light Conversion, MKS, Optikron GmbH, Oxxius, Prior Scientific, Spark Lasers, Thorlabs, and Zygo Corp. BioPhotonics magazine will also have a booth during the expo. For more information about the show, visit www.spie.org.
