Davis, CA October 29, 2002 -- Using lasers, light, and radiant energy in biology and medicine is the aim of a new collaborative center established at the University of California, Davis.
Funded with $52 million over the next 10 years, including a $40 million grant from the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF), the Center for Biophotonics Science and Technology will bring together scientists, industry, educators, and the community to research and develop applications for biophotonics and support photonics training and education.
The center is the only NSF-funded site in the United States that will focus on this area of research. The funding includes $40 million from the NSF over 10 years plus $12 million in matching funds from federal and state grants and private sources.
In addition to UC Davis and the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), center members include UC Berkeley, UC San Francisco, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Stanford University, Alabama A&M University, University of Texas at San Antonio, Hampton University, Fisk University, and Louisiana State University.
One of the goals of the center is to develop new technologies that will enable scientists and physicians to see what takes place in living cells and how the different components function in real time. Researchers at UC Davis and LLNL are already testing new microscopes that can more clearly distinguish cancerous and healthy tissue. Plans are under way to develop a hand-held pathogen detection unit to immediately identify the presence of potentially infectious agents, from anthrax to smallpox.
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