Principles of Biophotonics
Physiology 675-003
Timetable
The field of Biophotonics has emerged from research conducted at the interface of the physical and
biological sciences and engineering. Correspondingly students who are interested in developing and/or
applying photonic technologies to their research projects should benefit from a course that covers the
basic principles of optics, optical spectroscopy and microscopy and the application of these techniques to
address fundamental questions in the life and health sciences. The special topics course on Principles of
Biophotonics is divided into three sections. The first part covers the basic principles and practice of
photonics including optics, optical design, optical spectroscopy and optical microscopy. In the second
section, students will learn how biophotonics is being used to address specific mechanisms that underlie
biological function. The third section overviews novel applications of Biophotonics research in the areas
of genomics, proteomics, drug screening and engineering.
Instructor: Prof. Gerard Marriott, Department of Physiology (2-8185)
GM@physiology.wisc.edu
Where: 116 SMI
When: Monday and Friday: 10:00-11:30
Course Overview:
Introduction to Biophotonics
Principles of Biological spectroscopy
Design and performance of instrumentation used in optical spectroscopy
Synthetic and natural optical probes
Applications of fluorescence spectroscopy in the biological sciences
The principles and practice of luminescence imaging microscopy
Using biophotonics to study mechanisms of biomolecular reactions
Applications of fluorescence image microscopy in cell biology
(Prof. Tim Gomez)
Biophotonics in Biotechnology
Biophotonics in medicine
Each Session will include:
Material: Photocopies and research papers provided by the instructor.
Other material will
be posted on the course web site.
Assignment:
Students will work on a written assignment following the mid-term examination.
No lectures will be given during this 2-week period