Research Interest
Optical Spectroscopy and Imaging, Biophotonic Technology Development:
The mission of our research laboratory is to promote better diagnostic, treatment and prevention of human diseases through advancements in biophotonic technology – a field at the interface of physical sciences, engineering, biology and medicine. This is accomplished through a series of interdisciplinary research projects that enable early diagnosis and intraoperative demarcation of tumors, prevention of stroke and heart attack, and cancer therapy.
Professor Laura Marcu and her research group develop clinically compatible laser spectroscopy and imaging systems which facilitate in-vivo investigations of the relationship between tissue pathology and measured optical responses. Projects include development of fluorescence lifetime spectroscopy techniques for the recognition of major classes of fluorescent biomolecules in biological tissue, diagnosis of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, and intraoperative delineation of brain tumors. Recent work also targets optical microscopy techniques for imaging at the micro- and nano-scales, and non-invasive biological sensing.