• Clinical and Translational Biophotonics (Translational)
• Optics and the Brain (Brain)
• Bio-Optics: Design and Applications (BODA)
• Novel Techniques in Microscopy (NTM)
• Optical Manipulation and its Applications (OMA)
• Optical Molecular Probes, Imaging and Drug Delivery (OMP)

Clinical and Translational Biophotonics (Translational)

1. Preclinical disease research: techniques and applications
   • Molecular contrast agents, probes and reporters
   • Diffuse optical spectroscopy and Imaging methods for small animal models of cancer and other diseases
   • Optical imaging of the cancer microenvironment, processes and pathways
   • Targeted molecular imaging of cancer and quantitative validation methods
   • Bioluminescence techniques and applications to disease research
   • Photoacoustics in disease research
   • Intravital, Raman and multiphoton microscopy for pre-clinical disease research
2. Intravital microscopy for clinical applications
   • OCT techniques and applications in humans
   • Endomicroscopy
   • FLIM for clinical applications
   • Multimodal microscopy for clinical applications
   • Raman microscopy and endoscopy for clinical applications
   • Micro-elastography and optical biomechanics
   • Skin imaging techniques and applications
3. Clinical spectroscopy
   • Optical properties of disease
   • Intravital spectroscopy for clinical applications
   • Hyperspectral imaging techniques and applications in medicine
   • Modeling of light propagation and optical properties
4. Intrasurgical imaging
   • Optical approaches for surgical guidance
   • Intravital optical biopsy
   • Perfusion evaluation
   • Combined contrast agent / imaging approaches
   • Dynamic contrast
   • Digital staining microscopy
   • Applications in neurological surgery
   • Applications in cancer resection
5. Non-invasive optical imaging for disease applications
   • Tomography approaches for clinical applications
   • Multi-modal imaging (e.g. combined with x-ray, MRI, ultrasound)
   • Photoacoustic techniques and applications in the clinic
6. Optical therapeutics / theranostics
   • PDT, agents, techniques and applications
   • Thermal ablation
   • Agents for optical therapy
   • Laser surgery
   • Optical dosimetry
7. Clinical translation: biophotonics in the clinic and beyond
   • Global health
   • Applications in women’s health
   • Applications in ophthalmology
   • Applications in dermatology
   • New contrast agents in the clinic
   • Testing and evaluation of new clinical modalities
   • Machine Learning and AI approaches
   • Challenges and trajectories of clinical translation
   • Skin color bias studies

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Optics and the Brain (Brain)

1. Optics in the human central nervous system and peripheral nerves
   • Functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS)
   • Diffuse optical spectroscopy and tomography (DOS/DOT)
   • Diffuse correlation spectroscopy (DCS)
   • Speckle contrast optical spectroscopy (SCOS)
   • Wearable systems
   • Brain computer interfaces (BCI)
   • Intrasurgical brain optical imaging
   • Fiber-optic probes, spectroscopy and endoscopic imaging
   • Optical modulation of the human central nervous system
   • Retinal neuroscience
   • Speckle contrast
   • Vascular, metabolic modeling and imaging
   • Clinical applications
   • Coherence tomography, non-invasive techniques, hyperspectral imaging
2. Rethinking scan patterns and shaping light
   • Light sheet microscopy
   • Wavefront engineering
   • Adaptive optics
   • Structured illumination
   • Temporal focusing
   • Non-gaussian beam shaping
   • Holography
3. Structural and super-resolution techniques
   • Resolution improvement techniques
   • Fluorophores design and optimization
   • Use of super-resolution
   • Particle tracking
   • Molecular and biophysical processes
4. Analyzing circuitry, network function and information processing
   • Model systems for network studies
   • Hybrid theoretical-experimental approaches to network analysis
   • Models of network inference
   • Imaging strategies optimized for network analysis
   • Deciphering functions from activity data
   • Multiscale imaging of brain activity
   • Functional microscopy
5. Optogenetics, genetic encoding and novel probes
   • Optode and electrode hardware for excitation and/or recording
   • Use of miniature microscopes with optogenetics
   • Genetically encoded calcium and voltage indicators
   • Novel forms of functional contrast
   • New genetic strategies for optogenetics
   • Modeling and overcoming scatter in optogenetics
   • Challenges of scaling up optogenetics to non-human primates
6. Scattering, clearing and wavefront engineering
   • Advances in light sheet microscopy
   • Novel techniques for in-vitro whole-brain imaging and actuation
   • Zebrafish, drosophila and similar small organisms
   • Clearing techniques and structural imaging, animal to human
   • Optical data management and analysis strategies
   • Adaptive optics strategies
7. Brain physiology and disease
   • Application of optical spectroscopy and imaging systems to the study of the brain in both health and disease (i.e., Alzheimer's, stroke, epilepsy, autism etc.)
   • Models of brain diseases and optical tools
   • Photothrombosis
   • Optical therapeutics
   • Photodynamic therapy
   • Neuromodulation strategies
8. Functional brain imaging & neurodevelopment
   • Resting-state functional connectivity
   • Optical intrinsic signal imaging
   • Cognitive & neurodevelopment
9. Big data tools (collection, management, reduction, analysis)
   • Rapid imaging strategies
   • Serial slices imaging
   • Large field-of-view and space-bandwidth microscopes
   • Compression strategies
   • Data management tools
   • Machine learning and Artificial Intelligence
   • Software tools and data formats
   • ML data augmentation; high density datasets
10. Optical hybrids
    • Photoacoustics / optoacoustics
    • Acousto-optic approaches
    • Acoustic modulation of neural activity
    • Combined optical / PET / CT / MRI
    • Combined electrical/optical
    • Integrated photo acoustic, ultrasound and angiographic tomography (PAUSAT) and photothermal infrared microscopy

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Bio-Optics: Design and Applications (BODA)

1. Novel biomedical optical technology
2. Design and fabrication of biomedical optical devices
3. Ophthalmic imaging and sensing
4. Biochips and optofluidics
5. Instruments and systems for clinical imaging
6. Nanophotonics for biomedicine
7. Signal and image processing for biomedical optics
8. Machine learning for image reconstruction, interpretation, and optical design

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Novel Techniques in Microscopy (NTM)

1. Super-resolution
2. Phase microscopy and tomography
3. Computational microscopy
4. Nonlinear optical microscopy
5. Photoacoustic microscopy
6. Fluorescence lifetime imaging
7. Light sheet microscopy
8. Translational and intravital imaging
9. Optical coherence microscopy
10. Endoscopic microscopy
11. Lensless microscopy
12. Structured illumination microscopy
13. Correlative microscopy (e.g. correlated light and electron microscopy)
14. Adaptive optics and wavefront control for microscopy
15. Tissue clearing and expansion microscopy
16. Instrumentation and microscope design

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Optical Manipulation and its Applications (OMA)

1. Optical Manipulation in Biophysics and Biomedicine
   • Single molecule biophysics
   • Cellular mechanics and mechanotransduction
   • Cellular adhesion
   • Laser cellular surgery and photoporation
   • Light activated drugs and probes
   • Cell stretching
   • Optogenetics
   • Optical biomodulation
2. Optical Manipulation Fundamentals
   • Holographic optical tweezers and beam shaping, adaptive optics techniques
   • Particle dynamics
   • Opto-mechanical cooling
   • Microrheology
   • High force optical tweezers
   • Photophoresis
   • Optical trap modelling and theoretical underpinnings
   • Nanoparticle manipulation
   • Plasmonic manipulation
   • Integrated and near-field optical trapping
3. Optical Manipulation Applications
   • Non-equilibrium statistical mechanics
   • Nanoscale & quantum sensing
   • Environmental sensing an aerosol analysis
   • Optofluidics/microfluidics
   • Integration with spectroscopic techniques
   • Photo activated molecules and materials
4. Alternative Manipulation Techniques
   • Magnetic tweezers
   • Electrical manipulation: Electrodynamic balance, dielectrophoresis, etc.
   • Acoustic manipulation and trapping
   • Microfluidic manipulation
   • Optoelectronic tweezers
   • AFM applied to techniques studied by optical manipulation
   • Optothermal tweezers
   • Optical fiber tweezers

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Optical Molecular Probes, Imaging and Drug Delivery (OMP)

1. Imaging and Sensing of Biomolecular Processes and Pathways
   • Macroscopic optical/tomographic imaging
   • Advanced microscopy techniques (multiphoton, SHG. FRET, FLIM, SRS, pump-probe, CARS, SWIR, etc.)
   • Photo/opto-acoustics, diffuse reflectance imaging
   • Quantitative phase imaging
   • Vibrational imaging
2. Reporters and Contrast Agents
   • Luminescence and bioluminescence imaging
   • Endogenous contrast
   • Genetically encodable probes
   • Fluorescent molecular probes
   • Nanoparticle probes
3. Advanced Optical Molecular Imaging Instrumentation and Methods
   • Assays
   • Pre-clinical
   • Clinical prototypes (in-vivo/intra-cavital)
   • Surgical microscopes
4. Novel Tools and Approaches for Image Data Analysis and Reconstruction
5. Optical Imaging and Monitoring of Drug Delivery
   • Specific delivery and localization
   • Action of drugs
   • Contrast agents
   • Dosimetry in photodynamic, radio and chemotherapies
6. Fluorescent Phantoms and Quantitative Validation Methods
7. Multi-Modal Molecular Imaging Techniques
   • Combinations of optics with MRI, X-ray, radioligands, ultrasound, etc.
   • Multi-scale optical imaging
   • FILM, FRET, OCT, Raman and CARS
8. Pre-Clinical Applications of Optical Molecular Imaging and Spectroscopy
9. Clinical Translation of Optical Molecular Imaging, Spectroscopy and Image Guided Surgery and Therapy

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