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Biomedical Optics

Department 8.3

Tasks

We develop and investigate optically supported quantitative measurement and imaging methods for medical diagnostics and therapy control, mostly in collaboration with clinical partners. The focus of activities of the working group 8.31 is on optical spectroscopy and imaging for non-invasive quantitative determination of important biomarkers (e.g. hemoglobin concentration, oxygen saturation) in tissue in vivo as well as for the visualization of disease-related molecular changes by means of fluorescence-labeled probes. In addition, microscopic imaging techniques are developed and studied for the characterization and differentiation of single biological cells in flow. In working group 8.32, flow cytometric and microscopic measurement methods for cells and quantification of other particles (e.g. viruses such as HIV, or bacteria) are investigated for metrology in laboratory diagnostics. Working group 8.33 applies measurement methods for molecular detection of pathogens and genetic tumor markers. The measurand is the concentration of viruses or bacteria (e.g. SARS-CoV-2, MRSA). Digital PCR is mostly applied for this purpose. One aim is the development of reference measurement methods as well as the determination of reference measurement values for cells and pathogens for external quality assurance schemes that are legally required for medical laboratories.

News

The characterization of dispersions, suspensions, and emulsions is important in a wide range of scientific and industrial applications. Samples may consist of different materials with a wide range of particle sizes and concentrations. In a technology transfer project with LUM GmbH, a single particle sizing and counting instrument with a dynamic detection range of ≥6 decades has been developed to...

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An independent international group of researchers from academics and national agencies formed a dedicated task group within the American Association of Physicists in Medicine to identify key image quality characteristics and objective test methods for macroscopic fluorescence-guided surgery (FGS). The minimum set of measurements considered important for basic device performance are image sharpness,...

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On September 27, 2023, PTB Berlin hosted the kick-off meeting of the EU project GenomeMET. Cancer is a major challenge in Europe, causing more than 1.3 million deaths annually. EU-Mission Cancer prioritizes early diagnosis and precision medicine. Advances in gene sequencing, driven by technologies such as Next Generation Sequencing (NGS), are transforming cancer care. These techniques promise...

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