The Biomedical Optics Symposium (BiOS) of Photonics West 2012 opened yesterday. The number of papers has held steady from last year at about 1800--which James Fujimoto (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) and Rox Anderson (Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard School of Medicine) consider great in this "uncertain economy," they said while introducing last night's Hot Topics session. Vendors in the exhibit hall reported nothing uncertain about their life sciences business, though, and event organizers note that the exhibits grew 15% over last year's event.

What are you wondering about fluorescent probes in advanced microscopy applications? Tomorrow you'll have the chance to ask an expert in the field.Join me and Mike Davidson, who heads the optical microscopy department of the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory at Florida State University, for an interactive webcast at 3pm ET. Mike will be advising us How to Choose Probes for Super-Resolution Microscopy (http://www.bioopticsworld.com/webcasts/2011/11/probes-for-super-resolution-microscopy.html), and his presentation will conclude with a Q&A session.In recent years, life scientists have seen a dramatic advances in tools for fluorescent microscopy - both in terms of probes and instruments. The changes have enabled work previously only dreamed of: examination of molecular interactions with localization specificity, at resolutions approaching an order of magnitude beneath the classical diffraction limit.Come hear Davidson, a renowned microscopist, discuss the various modes of super-resolution imaging and advances in probe development for each one - and bring your questions. Hope to see you there.

Optogenetics has been a hot topic at the Society for Neuroscience annual meeting for the past few years. Now, with the 2011 edition, the event has seen the first introduction of an optogenetics-specific product.The Spectralynx system aims to facilitate "a turnkey, out-of-the-box experience with optogenetic hardware and software," at a lower price than multiple-laser systems. Offering power OVER 100 mW/mm2, the unit comes in two- (orange and blue) and four- (plus green and red) color versions. Both versions can be expanded up to seven colors, and all colors can be pulsed up to 5 kHz at full power.The system, offered by Neuralynx (Bozeman, MT), was designed by Alex Cadotte, Ph.D., a biomedical engineer who used optogenetics for his neuroscience research in Pediatric Neurology at the University of Florida. Cadotte says that because no turnkey option existed, the learning curve for doing optogenetics was steep and time-consuming. Moving to industry, he sought to create an easy to use, integrated solution, and found a willing partner in Neuralynx, provider of recording systems for electrophysiology and neuroscience research.

One of the themes here at Neuroscience 2011 is correlative microscopy--the integration of electron and light microscopy--evidenced by yesterday's announcement that FEI Company, developer of electron and ion-beam microscopes, is acquiring Till Photonics from Toptica. The announcement came about one hour after the conclusion of a press conference by Carl Zeiss Microscopy--the company that has resulted from the merger of Carl Zeiss MicroImaging (which focused on light microscopy) with Carl Zeiss NTS (nanotechnology systems, focused on electron and charged-particle microscopy).

I'm excited that today (Monday, October 17) at 3 pm ET, Wolfgang Drexler, one of the scientists who pioneered optical coherence tomography (OCT) will deliver online his presentation that drew a standing room-only audience at the 2011 Laser World of Photonics event. Fasten your seatbelt--this is a fast-paced ride through the key technological and market developments that brought us to where we are today, and that portend the future of OCT and how it will likely impact medical imaging for a range of specialties.Dr. Drexler is the Director of the Center for Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, Medical University Vienna in Vienna, Austria.Register now for the webcast so that even if you can't make it to the live event, you'll receive a link to the archive once it is posted: click here. According to the report "Optical Coherence Tomography 2010: Technology, Applications, and Markets" by Strategies Unlimited, the global market for OCT grew from less than $10 million in 2001 to more than $275 million in 2009. By 2012 the market is expected to reach nearly $800 million.

Laser World of Photonics 2011 definitely seemed larger than the 2009 event--and the final tally confirmed that indeed it was. The top two growth areas were medical technology and biophotonics, according to Messe Muenchen GmbH; this year’s conference and exhibition attracted not only 8% more visitors (for a total of 27,500) but also a record number of exhibitors (1100). The event celebrated the 20th anniversary of optical coherence tomography (OCT) with a CLEO Europe and European Conference on Biomedical Optics (ECBO) co-sponsored technology and applications tutorial by OCT pioneer Jim Fujimoto. The MIT professor drew a standing-room-only crowd; so did the two ECBO plenary talks. One, by another OCT powerhouse, Wolfgang Drexler of the Medical University of Wein (Austria), whisked audience members through OCT history highlights, and painted an enthusiastic picture of future technology and market development.The other ECBO plenary featured Prof. Mary-Ann Mycek of the University of Michigan (USA) discussing an optical spectroscopy technique that offers exciting promise for early detection of pancreatic cancer.

Laser World of Photonics Congress, a biennial event, starts on May 23rd in Munich, Germany, and I'll be reporting from the show. A major focus of this huge expo and conference is biophotonics, as I discovered when I attended in 2009. One thing I enjoyed during that visit was the series of application panels in the exhibit hall that were offered in addition to the conference. Laser World of Photonics will offer these panels again this year, bringing technology developers together with clinicians for exploration of real needs that technology can help address. The life sciences panels will cover the application of biophotonics in four general areas:+ Lasers for Analytical Bioinstrumentation and Bioimaging+ Diagnostics and Therapy in Medicine+ Visions for Future Diagnostics—Oncology+ Visions for Future Diagnostics—Infectious DiseasesA number of exciting announcements emerged from the 2009 Laser World of Photonics Congress, including scientific CMOS (sCMOS), which has since hit the market in the form of cameras from Andor, Cooke, and Hamamatsu. Stay tuned to BioOptics World for news from the 2011 event!

Among the products previewed in the BiOS 2011 exhibits was Oxxius’s 588 nm laser, which provides up to 50 mW of power. This is an upcoming addition to the company’s LaserBoxx laser diode product line that offers wavelengths from the ultraviolet (375 nm) all the way up to 785 nm, and is targeted to biotechnology applications.Oxxius said that its SLIM DPSS laser line (already released) was getting a lot of attention from BiOS attendees; in particular, the 553 nm wavelength model, with up to 200 mW of power, which the company says is unique in the market. The SLIM light sources are offered in various versions: a plug-and-play version, an OEM version (for system integration), a CDRH-compliant version (for academic users), and "low noise" and "single longitudinal mode" versions.

What will be the next successful commercial application of optical coherence tomography (OCT)? "I expect it will be GI (gastrointestinal) or perhaps pulmonary" imaging, says Greg Smolka, author of the research report Optical Coherence Tomography 2010: Technology, Applications, and Markets.In a webcast today, Smolka talked about signs to look for to determine which application is really gaining traction. He also recapped some recent progress in technology (e.g., combining OCT with other imaging modalities) and markets/applications (the FDA approved OCT for 3 additional specialty applications in 2010-and more approvals are coming).Listening to Smolka's presentation, I was reminded how truly important OCT is--how its speed and resolution empower medical clinicians in critical ways. And though it's made an enormous impact in ophthalmology already, its true utility has yet to be understood. Get ready for a fascinating ride.Those registered for the event can get a 20% discount on a report ordered within 2 weeks of today's broadcast (courtesy of Strategies Unlimited). The full presentation itself will be posted within 24 hours.

During BiOS/Photonics West 2011, I got to see a number of newly released products (see recent new product postings and stay tuned for later blog entries)--and to preview products not yet available.During BiOS/Photonics West 2011, I got to see a number of newly released products (see recent new product postings and stay tuned for later blog entries)--and to preview products not yet available.For instance, I learned about the latest version of Imagine Eyes’s rtx1 Adaptive Optics Retinal Camera, for which they had just received the first orders. The first device of its kind as far as I know, it features automated adaptive optics and captures en face cellular-level images of the retina in vivo without pupil dilation. It reportedly can discern things that optical coherence tomography (OCT) and scanning laser ophthalmoscopy (SLO) cannot, and produces 1200 x 1200 micron images that can be tiled together to view larger areas. Imagine Eyes is now marketing to researchers, and expects FDA approval in about a year. Meantime the company is building a morphological image database and gathering feedback from clinical partners including France’s national ophthalmic center.

Even though it most definitely exists, “the cost benefit of most clinical biophotonics technology is not well documented,” said Brian C. Wilson (Department of Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto) in his informative presentation during Monday's Lasers and Photonics Marketplace Seminar. Even though it most definitely exists, “the cost benefit of most clinical biophotonics technology is not well documented,” said Brian C. Wilson (Department of Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto) in his informative presentation during Monday's Lasers and Photonics Marketplace Seminar. On Tuesday, two plenary sessions took place: Frances S. Ligler, the Navy’s Senior Scientist for Biosensors and Biomaterials and current Chair of the Bioengineering Section of the National Academy of Engineering, presented a Perspective on the Future of Optical Biosensors. And Harold G. Craighead, Director of the Nanobiotechnology Center at Cornell University, explored the use of nanostructures for biological research.

Tonight's Hot Topics session packed a lot of information—and innovation—into just over 2 hours. It included a tribute not originally planned, but certainly appropriate, in honor of Britton Chance, who passed away in November 2010. Bruce Tromberg (University of California Irvine) and Arjun Yodh (University of Pennsylvania) concluded their homage to the prolific researcher by proposing a new unit of measurement: the Britton Chance Unit (BCU), equal to 100 milliwatts/square cm, which is the maximum exposure intensity for biological tissue damage.Tonight's Hot Topics session packed a lot of information—and innovation—into just over 2 hours. It included a tribute not originally planned, but certainly appropriate, in honor of Britton Chance, who passed away in November 2010. Bruce Tromberg (University of California Irvine) and Arjun Yodh (University of Pennsylvania) concluded their homage to the prolific researcher by proposing a new unit of measurement: the Britton Chance Unit (BCU), equal to 100 milliwatts/square cm, which is the maximum exposure intensity for biological tissue damage.Tomorrow (Sunday) will see the unveiling of an International Microcirculation Imaging Lab by a panel of researchers from key facilities in Europe and North America. “The vital role of the microcirculation in every organ of the body provides extraordinary opportunities for health impact, especially personalized healthcare,” says Martin Leahy, a conference chair. He explains that the ability of optical technologies to now provide “exquisite 3D images of the smallest blood vessels at clinically important depths,” enable detection of changes before any clinical signs, and prediction the onset of blindness and ulceration.Also on the agenda for Sunday is an invited presentation by the Northwestern University team that recently proved able to detect early signs of lung cancer in humans by examining cells scraped from the patients’ cheeks.

The tribute to MIT's Michael S. Feld, which will kick off the BiOS Hot Topics session on Saturday night, will be followed by seven other presentations, including one by David Huang, a pioneer of optical coherence tomography, who will discuss new OCT developments impacting that technology’s original application: Ophthalmology.The tribute to Michael S. Feld, which will kick off the BiOS Hot Topics session on Saturday night, will be followed by seven other presentations, including one by David Huang, a pioneer of optical coherence tomography, who will discuss new OCT developments impacting that technology’s original application: Ophthalmology.In addition, we'll get to hear about fluorescence lifetime techniques for intravascular diagnostics (presented by Laura Marcu of the University of California/Davis), using light to control the brain (by MIT’s Ed Boyden), and novel uses of femtosecond laser pulses (by Harvard’s Eric Mazur), and clinical multiphoton tomography (by Karsten Koenig, of Saarland University and JenLab GmbH—who won a 2010 Berthold Leibinger award 2010 Berthold Leibinger award for this work). Paras Prasad, of the University of Buffalo, will discuss a multiplex platform for analyzing macromolecular dynamics in live cells (while on Sunday, Prasad will deliver a keynote exploring the impact of multiphoton microscopy and multimodal imaging on 21st century healthcare).Also part of Hot Topics will be a presentation by Alexander Oraevsky of Fairway Medical Technologies on 3-D optoacoustic tomography. While photoacoustics technology is only just beginning to enter the commercial market, it is an area of great interest and dynamism: The BiOS “Photons Plus Ultrasound” conference attracted nearly 30% more papers and almost 40% greater audience in 2010, over already-impressive increases in 2009. This year, Oraevsky chairs a Tuesday session on novel methods and technologies that will include a University of Michigan team discussing a photonic crystal-metallic structure able to produce an ultrasound signal at nearly the same frequency spectrum as the input laser pulse.

This weekend I'll be attending the Biomedical Optics Symposium (BiOS), which now represents 45% of the educational content at Photonics West. Saturday night will find me at the appropriately named Hot Topics plenary, which promises to deliver "the latest technical breakthroughs and directions from leading worldwide experts.” Each year, this plenary showcases some of the most interesting work underway—mostly in research, but also in the commercial realm.This weekend I'll be attending the Biomedical Optics Symposium (BiOS), which now represents 45% of the educational content at Photonics West. Saturday night will find me at the appropriately named Hot Topics plenary, which promises to deliver "the latest technical breakthroughs and directions from leading worldwide experts.” Each year, this plenary showcases some of the most interesting work underway—mostly in research, but also in the commercial realm.This year’s Hot Topics will begin with a tribute to Michael Feld, the MIT professor who pioneered the application of spectroscopy to biomedicine. Not long after BiOS 2010, Feld lost his battle with cancer, but his presence is still with us, as will be demonstrated in a discussion of recent work that promises to overcome obstacles to the long-anticipated promise of noninvasive glucose monitoring and tomographic cell imaging.

I was intrigued to learn about the technique developed by scientists at New York University to record 3D movies of microscopic systems, such as biological molecules, using holographic video. They describe the method, detailed in a recent Optics Express paper, as a label-free approach to flow cytometry—and say it could improve medical diagnostics and drug discovery. Then I learned of a commercial instrument claiming the same capabilities.I was intrigued to learn about the technique developed by scientists at New York University to record 3D movies of microscopic systems, such as biological molecules, using holographic video. Researchers in Professor David Grier's lab describe the method, which they detailed in a recent Optics Express paper, as a label-free approach to flow cytometry. They say it could improve medical diagnostics and drug discovery.Then I learned that a commercial instrument claiming the same capabilities has been in existence for more than five years. The Digital Holographic Microscope, manufactured by Lyncee Tec (Lausanne, Switzerland) and distributed in the US by NanoAndMore USA, Inc., comes in reflection mode and transmission mode models. The former has some unique features including a 25MHz stroboscopic mode that allows stop-action in the nanosecond range. It can map movement and show the influence of changing variables in real-time. "There is nothing else commercially available that can do this," NanoAndMore CEO George C. McMurtry told me. In addition, he said, the commercial instrument "does exactly what Professor David Grier’s group had to make from scratch." McMurtry added, "We are trying to get the pharmaceutical companies and university researchers to realize that this instrument exists and can greatly speed up their research efforts."

During his appearance last month as the fifth annual Hounsfield memorial lecturer at the Imperial College London (England) Imaging Sciences Centre, MIT professor James Fujimoto said that screening and early stage diagnosis of cancers is a growth area for optical coherence tomography (OCT). Within days of Fujimoto's presentation, a number of announcements from commercial OCT developers addresses the use of the technology for cancer detection.During his appearance as the fifth annual Hounsfield memorial lecturer at the Imperial College London (England) Imaging Sciences Centre, MIT professor James Fujimoto said that screening and early stage diagnosis of cancers is a growth area for optical coherence tomography (OCT). Within days of Fujimoto's presentation, Within days of Fujimoto's presentation, OCT developer Volcano (San Diego, CA) told Massachusetts business journal Mass High Tech that it hopes to branch into cancer diagnosis--and another announcement reported a novel cancer detection system based on optical demultiplexed (OD) optical coherence tomography (OCT). Similarly, skin cancer detection is a potential application of Michelson Diagnostics' VivoSight system, just released for clinical use in Europe.

This week, Urodynamix Technologies Ltd. reported exciting news: Financial results for its fiscal first quarter (ended March 31) showed a 1,269%increase from revenues in Q1 2008. The spike resulted from the first commercial sales of the company's URO NIRS 2000 in the quarter--and as of March 31, the company had an order backlog of $92,576. This week, Urodynamix Technologies Ltd. reported exciting news: Financial results for its fiscal first quarter (ended March 31) showed a 1,269% increase from revenues in Q1 2008. The spike resulted from the first commercial sales of the company's URO NIRS 2000 in the quarter--and as of March 31, the company had an order backlog of $92,576. Urodynamix has been busy working partnerships to get its near infrared spectroscopy products out into the world. For instance a new agreement with pharmaceuticals giant Pfizer has the partners collaborating on promotional programs to increase awareness of UroNIRS Bladder Monitor technology among urologists and medical professionals. And a product development and distribution agreement with Timm Medical Technologies aims to apply NIRS to erectile dysfunction.

Optics and photonics technologies have advanced ophthalmology at least as much as any other medical specialty. Both the excimer laser and optical coherence tomography (OCT) figured prominently at the recent American Academy of Ophthalmology annual meeting. Since then, a research report urged greater access to laser and photodynamic treatments, saying such availability would reduce the incidence of future blindness.Optics and photonics technologies have advanced ophthalmology at least as much as any other medical specialty. Both the excimer laser and optical coherence tomography (OCT) figured prominently at the recent American Academy of Ophthalmology annual meeting. Since then, a research report, urged greater access to laser and photodynamic treatments saying such availability would reduce the incidence of future blindness.Last week's announcement of the 2009 PhAST/Laser Focus World Innovation Award winner, BioPhotonic Solutions' femtoFIT, has implications for corrective eye surgery, according to the award judges. And a new low-cost camera promises to expand the technologies' impact to eye care for millions of underserved people around the world. In another inspiring look toward the future, the open publication of a massive data base of hi-res OCT images hopes to facilitate development of macular degeneration-diagnosis software.

"Word is getting out” about imaging tools that enable more precise guidance during heart surgery, said Volcano Corp. VP Joe Burnett, referring to the increased number of imaging-related presentations at the recent American College of Cardiology (ACC) Annual Meeting 2009.) Speaking at the conference, former ACC President Pamela Douglas, M.D. said that imaging is growing faster than all other procedures, services and diagnostic tests.Many of the talks focused on intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) and optical coherence tomography (OCT), either pitting the approaches against each other or demonstrating their complementary use. Volcano has a foot in each camp, bolstered during the past year by acquisitions of IVUS developer Novelis and OCT developer Axsun. The latter launched a legal battle because last summer, Axsun entered into a multi-year exclusive agreement with another supplier of cardiac OCT systems, LightLab Imaging (Westford, MA). Under the agreement, Axsun would supply advanced tunable lasers for LightLab’s swept-source OCT systems.We’re still waiting for the final answer to the question, “What happens when the company you acquire has supply agreements with your competitors?” but for now, a Superior Court injunction, in response to a complaint by LightLab, is prohibiting Volcano from using Axsun tunable lasers in its OCT products.

Did you see Dr. Tim Johnson on Good Morning America a couple of months ago explaining optical frequency-domain imaging (OFDI) technology, which is giving researchers their first-ever detailed look at the interior of human coronary arteries? Did you see Dr. Tim Johnson on Good Morning America a couple of months ago explaining optical frequency-domain imaging (OFDI) technology, which is giving researchers their first-ever detailed look at the interior of human coronary arteries? Used during heart surgery, the technique enables 3D, microscopic views of significant segments of patients' arteries, letting surgeons see lipid and calcium deposits, and immune cells that could indicate inflammation, in addition to stents. In an illustration of the technique’s practicality, a discussion during BiOS/Photonics West a couple of weeks ago centered on the technique’s usefulness for helping heart surgeons decide where to place stents so as to avoid complications. A video clip of Johnson’s presentation is available on ABC’s site.

An increasing trend in aesthetic laser systems--for skin rejuvenation, hair removal, skin tightening, tattoo removal, and so on--is multifunctionality. A related trend is promotion of the devices in terms of cost savings and increase of revenue streams for practitioners. Two examples of this are announcements made this month by Candela and Sciton. An increasing trend in aesthetic laser systems--for skin rejuvenation, hair removal, skin tightening, tattoo removal, and so on--is multifunctionality. A related trend is promotion of the devices in terms of cost savings and increase of revenue streams for practitioners. Two examples of this are announcements made this month by Candela and Sciton. I suppose this trend is simply evolutionary, but in light of current economic conditions, especially in the aesthetics realm, it seems especially fitting. Sciton noted that its new Joule product would enable "revenue stimulus for the current economic environment that will easily translate to solid, long-term practice-building and growth." Perhaps the translation will be easy, but I doubt it will be quick. I hope I’m wrong, though.

“Optical biosensors have begun to move from the laboratory to the point of use,” wrote Frances S. Ligler of the Naval Research Laboratory’s Center for Bio/Molecular Science and Engineering, in a paper titled “Perspective on optical biosensors and integreated sensor systems” (published in December 2008 by the American Chemical Society).“Optical biosensors have begun to move from the laboratory to the point of use,” wrote Frances S. Ligler of the Naval Research Laboratory’s Center for Bio/Molecular Science and Engineering, in a paper titled “Perspective on optical biosensors and integreated sensor systems” (published in December 2008 by the American Chemical Society). Ligler adds that movement from lab to application will be hastened by “new concepts for molecular recognition, integration of microfluidics and optics, simplified fabrication technologies, improved approaches to biosensor system integration, and dramatically increased awareness of the applicability of sensor technology to improve public health and environmental monitoring.”Here are a couple of interesting stories we’ve reported recently on biosensors. Stay tuned for more: Spanish researchers propose low-cost method of developing label-free optical biosensor chip Euro researchers' wearable fiber-optic biosensors monitor patients during MRI scans

This is a long week for those of us “all in” at BiOS and Photonics West, but though it’s not even halfway over, I can already tell it won’t be long enough for me to see all that I want to.This is a long week for those of us “all in” at BiOS and Photonics West, but though it’s not even halfway over, I can already tell it won’t be long enough for me to see all that I want to.I spent much of today in the Lasers and Photonics Marketplace seminar, wherein leaders of the greater optics and photonics industry reported and forecasted market outcomes, and discussed important developments. Laser Focus World chief editor Steve Anderson predicted that when all the 2008 numbers are in, the biomedical therapy market will reveal a decline of ~5% from 2007 levels, and 2009 figures will decline a bit further to $477 million in sales.I also got to talk a bit with Claude Boccara of LLTech (Paris, France) following his presentation on an imaging approach his company calls “full field OCT.” It is unusual in that instead of imaging vertical “slices” of tissue (perpendicular to the probe) as do other optical coherence tomography scanners, LLTech’s “en face” approach images horizontally (parallel to the probe). While this inherently involves a limited depth of field, the approach is able to image a larger area and promises better penetration. The system combines the layers to produce the same kind of image cube that traditional OCT systems do—and lets you step through the cube by peeling away vertical slices. LLTech plans to launch its system commercially in 2010.Oh, and I reported only one of the presentations at Saturday night’s Hot Topics session—so let me fill you in on another: Kishan Dholakia of the University of St. Andrews (U.K.) discussed photoporation (also called optical injection or transfection) of exogenous DNA into a cell, saying it is “set to become a mainstay in microscopy,” thanks especially to “novel light beams and optical technology and control.” Thanks, that is, to beam shaping.

Introducing the “hot topics” session tonight at SPIE’s BiOS event, Dr. Rox Anderson noted that the BiOS conference is now nearing half the size of Photonics West!Introducing the “hot topics” session tonight at SPIE’s BiOS event, Dr. Rox Anderson noted that the BiOS conference is now nearing half the size of Photonics West! The session itself began with Dr. Stefan Hell demonstrating how his Stimulated Emission Depletion (STED) microscope breaks the diffraction barrier to achieve super-resolution imaging (28X greater than confocal, down to 8 nm) within living neurons, for instance—and record at 28 frames per second. Wow.In the exhibit hall I found a couple of vendors claiming unique capabilities. For instance, Innolume says its quantum dot technology exploits wavelengths that nobody else touches--in the 1120 - 1210 nm range (actually Innolume covers a wider spread--1064 - 1320 nm--but other companies have offerings at either end of that range). Another, Translume, is using lasers to produce glass waveguides and other microstructures such as microfluidic channels. Michelson Diagnostics demonstrated its handheld OCT probe for imaging skin. The company is targeting non-opthalmic applications, and in fact plans to attend or exhibit at dermatology events in 2009.Kapteyn Murnane Laboratories (KMLabs for short), which develops low-cost ultrafast amplifier systems to compete with some of the larger developers, said it shortly plans to introduce a new device about half the size of its current systems. More soon--stay tuned!

The SPIE, producer of Photonics West (January 24-29) and BiOS (the largest of its four symposia), says that the 2009 BiOS event, starting on Saturday, will be ~15% larger than it was in 2008. I’ve packed my jogging shoes because the exhibits run only 9 hours and feature 150 companies. (The hall opens Saturday at 1 pm till 5 pm, and Sunday from 10 am till 4 pm). Here are a few stops I’m looking forward to:The SPIE, producer of Photonics West (January 24-29) and BiOS (the largest of its four symposia), says that the 2009 BiOS event, starting on Saturday, will be ~15% larger than it was in 2008. I’ve packed my jogging shoes because the exhibits run only 9 hours and feature 150 companies. (The hall opens Saturday at 1 pm till 5 pm, and Sunday from 10 am till 4 pm). Here are a few stops I’m looking forward to:Fianium (booth 8132) will demonstrate its recently announced supercontinuum fiber lasers, the first to use the company's new proprietary high performance photonic crystal fiber (PCF) design, developed in partnership with the University of Bath (Bath, England). The technology promises key advantages over traditional supercontinuum techniques. Michelson Diagnostics’ (booth 8731) will demo its prototype hand-held OCT probe, based on multi-beam technology. The company plans to launch “more than one variant” of the new probe later in 2009, including a dermal version (with X-Y scanning, to enable 3D mapping of skin lesions) and a version equipped with a rigid endoscope, suitable for oral applications. The company will apply for a CE mark for the product this spring, and then file an FDA 510(k) application. Of course the larger Photonics West event (exhibits open Tuesday, January 27) will feature plenty of companies targeting bio-optics applications, too. For instance Cal Sensors (booth 6234) will introduce LIRA-5S, a lead selenide thermal imaging array that combines sensitivity in a wider wavelength range with integrated electronics. The device can be programmed for use in a wide variety of high-speed thermal imaging applications. And Inno-Spec GmbH (booth 1801) will introduce a mid-infrared (MIR) compact line-array spectrometer with sensitivity in the 1-3 micron wavelength region that is less expensive than competing technologies.