Caroline Boudoux of Polytechnique Montréal will be one of the chairs of the Biophotonics Congress. Courtesy of Optica. The long — but vital — path that microscopy, laser treatments, and other biomedical and life sciences technologies take from the conception of a prototype to actual usable instrumentation in a laboratory or clinic will be a key topic of discussion at Optica’s 2025 Biophotonics Congress: Optics in the Life Sciences. Topics of talks and sessions (as well as student posters) range from device development and image processing to the multilevel assessment of brain health photoacoustic imaging in disease diagnosis. The event will be held April 21 to 24 at the Loews Coronado Bay Resort in California. The event will be overseen by chairwoman Caroline Boudoux of Polytechnique Montréal; vice chairman Daniel Elson of Imperial College London; industry chairwoman Ewa Zarnowska of Coherent Inc.; and industry vice chairwoman Kate Bechtel of Ripple Medical. A poster session highlights some of the latest research in biomedical optics and life sciences. Courtesy of Optica. Program tracks will include Bio-Optics: Design and Applications, with topics such as biochips and optofluidics and machine learning for image reconstruction; Clinical and Translational Biophotonics, with sessions dedicated to intrasurgical imaging and optical therapeutics/theranostics; Novel Techniques in Microscopy, featuring talks on computational microscopy and adaptive optics and wavefront control; Optical Manipulation and its Applications, with lectures on light-activated drugs and probes and optical fiber tweezers; Optical Molecular Probes, Imaging and Drug Delivery, with a slate of speakers covering reporters and contrast agents and multimodal molecular imaging techniques; and Optics and the Brain, hosting sessions from rethinking scan patters and shaping light to structural and superresolution techniques. Attendees include those from all segments of biomedical research (left). Merle Weitzenberg asks a question during a previous program. Courtesy of Optica. An accomplished lineup of plenary speakers will include: • Sophie Hernot of Vrije Universiteit Brussel will present “Enhancing Fluorescence-Guided Surgery with Nanobodies and Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging.” • Jerome Mertz of Boston University will discuss “Pushing the Limits of Microscopy.” • Elizabeth Hillman of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital will offer her thoughts on “Maximizing the Impact of Biomedical Imaging and Microscopy.” • Lene Oddershede of the Niels Bohr Institute will provide insight into quantum science and technology. Along with the academic tracks, the program will also offer two industry focus days, welcoming thought and development leaders from industry. Panel discussions will include Paths to New Technology: Application-Focused Collaboration on April 23, and Validation of New Technology: The Role of Key Opinion Leaders, Voice of Customer and Human Factors on April 24. Event planners said that these events are designed to provide post-docs and others in the academic realm a door into potential careers in the life sciences and biomedical industries. The congress will also include an exhibition in conjunction with poster sessions with several companies including INO, Bertin Alpao, Ocean Optics, Class 5 Photonics GmbH, NKT Photonics, Light Conversion, and TOPTICA. For more information and to register, visit www.optica.org/events/congress/biophotonics_congress.