Professors from CREOL have been awarded a National Institutes of Health (NIH) award. The grant will support the development of multicolor two-photon excitation STED imaging system with multichannel compact semiconductor laser. Assistant Professor Kyu Young Han is the principal investigator of this grant, and is accompanied with two co-principal investigators: Professors Peter Delfyett and Eric Van Stryland. This multidisciplinary project combines Lasers, Nonlinear Optics and Bio-imaging.
Unlike one-photon excitation, simultaneous three- or four-color two-photon imaging is highly challenging because it requires a massive amount of equipment. A CREOL team proposes to develop a compact and cost-effective solution to replace these bulky, expensive laser systems by employing direct electrically pumped mode-locked semiconductor lasers. This laser can be operated at various wavelengths, since the laser emission wavelength from a diode laser is controlled by the composition of semiconductor material. Particularly, it is important for imaging genetically modified fluorescent proteins. The new imaging system will allow many researchers in biomedical areas to use simultaneous multi-color super-resolution deep-tissue imaging with low cost multichannel laser systems, which is critical to study interactions and dynamics of a variety of biomarkers with nanoscale resolution.
NIH supports exploratory research leading to the development of innovative technologies for biomedical research. The program recognizes and rewards high risk approaches with potential for significant impact.
