BioPhotonics

Microscopy Method Speeds Delivery of 3D Images with Axial Encoding

Tue, 09 Jun 2026 07:00:00 GMT

An advanced 3D microscopy technique from the University of Hong Kong (HKU) could significantly improve imaging speed and reduce samples’ exposure to light, while maintaining a high image quality.

Conventional multiphoton microscopy (MPM) can effectively penetrate deep tissue, but its axial scanning rate is slow, and it is affected by high cumulative light exposure that can damage biological samples. These drawbacks make it difficult to monitor fast biological dynamics or conduct long-term observations using MPM.

To overcome these limitations, the researchers developed AIMED, short for Arbitrary Illumination Microscopy with Encoded Depth. AIMED provides a flexible, efficient, plug-in solution for 3D imaging of neuronal...

Single Atom Used to Image Below Diffraction Limit

Thu, 04 Jun 2026 07:00:00 GMT

Researchers have developed an optical microscopy technique that uses a single ultracold atom trapped in optical tweezers as a camera. Called the "Atom Camera," the technique visualizes not only light intensity distributions but also polarization distributions. It has a high spatial resolution below 100 nm.

Its developers, led by assistant professor Takafumi Tomita at the Institute for Molecular Science at the National Institutes of Natural Sciences (Japan), expect the method to be useful in quantum computing and other emerging quantum technologies. In the work, a single atom trapped by an optical tweezer was successfully utilized as a scanning probe to image the fine structures of intensity and polarization distributions of light...

Hamamatsu Establishes Subsidiary in Singapore

Wed, 27 May 2026 07:00:00 GMT

Hamamatsu Photonics has established a Singapore-based subsidiary, Hamamatsu Photonics Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd. With the subsidiary, Hamamatsu said, the company is aiming to strengthen its business foundation in the Southeast Asian market. Operations are expected to commence in October.

To this point, Hamamatsu said, it has built its sales and logistics framework in the Southeast Asian market through its local subsidiaries in Europe and the U.S. The new base will enable the company to consolidate logistics functions in the region and gradually transition to a sales and logistics framework centered on the new hub. The company said the move will strengthen cost competitiveness, shorten lead times, and further enhance customer satisfaction.

Holograms Guide 3D Printing of Tissue-Like Structures

Tue, 26 May 2026 07:00:00 GMT

École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) researchers have developed a way to use holograms to guide laser light for ultra-efficient, fast, and precise volumetric 3D printing. The innovation enables cell-compatible, high-resolution 3D printing at scales suitable for biomedical applications.

Last year, EPFL scientists published an improved approach to tomographic volumetric additive manufacturing (TVAM): a 3D printing method that uses laser light to harden a rotating vial of photosensitive resin into a desired shape. In that work, the researchers used holograms to encode 3D forms by modulating the alignment (phase) of light waves rather than their brightness (amplitude), as previous methods had done,...

Laser Enables Contactless 3D Rotation of Micro-Objects in Fluidic Media

Thu, 21 May 2026 07:00:00 GMT

Precise, contact-free, 3D rotation of microscopic objects is needed across diverse scientific and technological disciplines, from cellular biology and optical imaging to materials assembly and microfluidics. Precise 3D rotation of microscopic objects is especially desirable in diffusion-suppressing environments, where conventional micromanipulation methods are often inadequate.

A new approach to 3D rotation, from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), uses a laser to locally heat the liquid in which the sample is suspended. This process creates fluid-flows that move freely-floating samples in a gentle, no-contact manner, without the need for mechanical microtools like pipettes, needles, or grippers.

“We do not...

Nanoscopy Method Reveals Communication Between Cells

Mon, 18 May 2026 07:00:00 GMT

A nanoscopy technique developed at the Australian National University (ANU) has uncovered hidden networks used for communication between cells, opening new ways to understand human diseases.

The method allows researchers to observe how living cells interact with their environment over several days, revealing three-dimensional behaviors that were previously invisible to conventional microscopes.

“Using gentle, label-free imaging means we can finally witness the secret, dynamic life of cells in real time and 3D,” said senior investigator Steve Lee from The John Curtin School of Medical Research (JCSMR). “The technique allows for faster and more accurate breakthroughs in how we understand and treat human disease...

Acquisitive Exosens Plans to Unify Offerings Under Common Brand

Thu, 14 May 2026 07:00:00 GMT

Exosens has announced that it plans to unify its complete portfolio of brands. The company said that products from the group Exosens currently marketed under different brands, such as Photonis, Xenics, El-Mul or Telops and more recently Noxant, Phasics and Emberion will gradually come under the Exosens brand.

The unification follows Exosens' most recent purchase, of SWIR imaging leader Emberion, and aims to provide customers and partners with a simpler, more coherent and clearer understanding of the group's offering.

Since 2022, Exosens has made a number of acquisitions. The company has acquired Xenics, NVLS, Noxant, LR Tech, Centronic, El-Mul, ProxiVision, Telops, Phasics, and Emberion. The company additionally launched an IPO...

Quantum Firm NVision Raises $55M, Expands into Compute

Thu, 14 May 2026 07:00:00 GMT

Quantum technologies developer NVision has raised $55 million in a series B funding round. The company also revealed that it is expanding from quantum sensing into quantum computing. NVision has previously targeted quantum technologies for healthcare.

POLARIS, NVision’s quantum-enhanced sensing platform, boosts the MRI signal of sugar-based imaging agents by orders of magnitude, enabling real-time measurement of metabolism on standard MRI systems. NVision is said it is now building on the quantum molecular approach behind POLARIS and extending its platform into quantum computation.
NVision is expanding into quantum computing with its Photonic Integrated Quantum Circuits (PIQC) technology. Courtesy of NVision.
While...

Terahertz Imaging Device Promises Better Outcomes in Burn Detection, Recovery

Tue, 12 May 2026 07:00:00 GMT

At Stony Brook University, work is underway to build a handheld terahertz (THz) imaging device to achieve precise evaluations of burn severity. The research team, led by professor M. Hassan Arbab, aims to reduce unnecessary surgeries and improve outcomes for burn patients by providing clinicians with a tool to diagnose burns with greater accuracy.

The device uses AI and machine learning to interpret imaging data and takes polarimetric measurements of Mie scattering in the tissue. These measurements allow clinicians to observe how the light interacts with injured tissue.

Professor M. Hassan Arbab and the team test the THz scanner inside an operating room. Courtesy of Stony Brook University.
“People always assume that it...

HEF Photonics Acquires Evaporated Coatings, Inc.

Mon, 11 May 2026 11:33:08 GMT

HEF Photonics has acquired Evaporated Coatings, Inc. (ECI), a provider of advanced optical coating solutions. Founded in 1960, ECI provides precision optical thin film coatings, supporting customers across aerospace, defense, life sciences, semiconductor, and industrial markets. The company employs approximately 40 people and operates 16 coating systems supporting development, prototyping, and production activities.

HEF Photonics USA is part of the broader HEF Group Photonics Business Unit, which includes optical coating, precision optics manufacturing, and photolithography operations in the U.S. and France.

The acquisition enhances HEF Photonics USA’s optical coating capabilities and strengthens its U.S. manufacturing...

3 Questions with Han Zhang

Mon, 11 May 2026 11:06:00 GMT

BioPhotonics spoke with Han Zhang, a Distinguished Professor in the College of Physics and Optoelectronic Engineering at Shenzhen University. Zhang was the corresponding author of research published in Optica on the specialized use of nanomaterials to create a biosensor that can detect very low concentrations of disease biomarkers in blood.

Your technique involved the use of DNA structures to govern interactions with nanomaterials that elicit a second-harmonic generation (SHG) response from a blood sample. How does this use of nanomaterials for detection differ from that in other methods such as SERS?

Our approach explores the potential of nonlinear optics, specifically SHG. Techniques such as surface-enhanced Raman...

Shining light on 200-year-old animal specimens

Mon, 11 May 2026 08:38:20 GMT

The research and discoveries of a 19th-century naturalist continue to influence modern science, thanks to the power of photonics technology. Today, students worldwide know that, at age 22, Charles Darwin collected about 10,000 plant, animal, rock, and fossil specimens during his five-year voyage on the HMS Beagle. Hired as the trip’s naturalist, he sailed around South America, documenting his observations of wildlife and geology. His specimens are still examined in museums and research institutions for classification.

Perhaps students from two centuries ago could retrieve their college notes after all this time, for the scientific effort Darwin began on that famous journey didn’t really end in 1836. Recently, scientists...

Modeling for microscopy

Mon, 11 May 2026 08:09:03 GMT

Modern imaging techniques such as light-sheet microscopy have the capacity to capture detailed and information-rich data sets of dynamic biological processes. This information provides scientists with insights into intercellular communication and the genesis of disease in the brain and nervous system. But in many research laboratories and clinics, light-sheet microscopy has generated a wealth of data sets that overwhelm both traditional machine learning algorithms and human interpretation. Both neural networks and researchers can develop unintentional biases in what they consider physiologically significant in these data sets.

Realizing that blindly sampling a broad distribution using techniques that include light-sheet microscopy is...

Bridging Data Modalities with AI

Mon, 11 May 2026 08:08:00 GMT

Discussions of multimodal imaging often focus on hardware, as researchers and clinicians generally assume that a comprehensive diagnostic picture can be generated only by combining tissue scans from multiple platforms, integrating the structural detail of one with the functional specificity of another. However, in clinical practice, the cost, time, and physical burden of additional scans often create barriers to efficient and effective care, and we should not have to choose between high-fidelity data and patient accessibility. In oncology, for instance, we are often limited by the size of a needle biopsy, which rarely provides enough tissue to perform multiple tests.

Our recent work at Teesside University on multimodal AI aims to...

Automated Focusing, High-Throughput Technique for Microscopy Cuts Imaging Time

Fri, 08 May 2026 07:00:00 GMT

Precise autofocusing capabilities help maintain image quality and high throughput when using optical microscopy to visualize biological samples of different shapes and thicknesses. However, conventional autofocusing methods can be hard to implement, and are not always compatible across all sample types. They can also slow the imaging process: When dozens, or even hundreds, of samples must be imaged, the amount of time needed to refocus the microscope to bring each sample into focus adds up.

Blurry (left) and in-focus microscopic images of human lung cancer before and after Digital Defocus Aberration Interference (DAbI) digitally refocuses the image. Courtesy of Caltech/Haowen Zhou and Shi Zhao.
A newly developed autofocus...

King's College London Spinout Hypervision Surgical Raises $23M for Real-Time Imaging Tech

Tue, 05 May 2026 07:00:00 GMT

Hypervision Surgical (HVS), a startup company developing a real-time hyperspectral imaging solution for surgery, has closed a £17 million ($23 million) series A funding round. The company will use the funding to accelerate commercial deployment and expand clinical adoption of its next generation hyperspectral sensing technologies.

A spinout of King's College London, Hypervision is working to commercialize its U.K.-certified and FDA-cleared HYPERSNAP system. The technology is designed to bring high-performance edge computing capabilities to power real-time reasoning in the operating theatre, and aims to break down visual limitations for surgeons by revealing important tissue health characteristics such as composition and blood...

Mid-Infrared Spectroscopy Reshaped by Tunable Lasers and Machine Learning

Fri, 01 May 2026 15:48:00 GMT

Mid-infrared (MIR) light — spanning ~2.5 to 20 µm — occupies a uniquely information-rich spectral region. In this regime, molecules exhibit strong absorption signatures supporting applications ranging from materials identification and polymer development to biological tissue examination and chemical analysis.

For decades, this spectral domain has underpinned high-confidence chemical identification across manufacturing and research sectors as diverse as pharmaceuticals, food safety, biomedical diagnostics, gas sensing, security screening, and industrial process control.

An RGB image of a clinical kidney cancer tissue section imaged with quantum cascade laser (QCL)-based IR microscopy shows morphological and...

Light-Sheet Microscope Design Puts Whole-Brain Imaging in Reach for Scientists

Fri, 01 May 2026 14:03:00 GMT

Scientists once imagined a time when they would be able to acquire a complete subcellular-resolution 3D image of an entire mouse brain — all 600-plus cubic mm — in <2 h. Such an image could visualize individual neurons and their projections across multiple brain regions, identify discrete cell populations by their molecular markers, and reconstruct 3D tissue architecture at submicron resolution. Until recently, generating such data sets required either weeks of manual sectioning and imaging or access to highly specialized instrumentation available at only a handful of facilities worldwide. Today, streamlined light-sheet fluorescence microscopy (LSFM) systems are placing these capabilities within reach of individual...

Optical Fiber Winds Its Way Through Next-Generation Health Care

Fri, 01 May 2026 11:27:00 GMT

Optical fibers have played an increasingly important role in modern medical technologies by enabling precise light delivery, high-resolution imaging, and minimally invasive diagnostics and therapies. Medicine and health care have benefited from the enhanced diagnostics and treatment enabled by specialty optical fibers designed with tailored structures, materials, and optical properties. By modifying parameters such as core composition, refractive index profile, geometry, and coating, these fibers facilitate functionalities including high-power laser delivery, nonlinear light generation, sensing, and operation across extended wavelength ranges used in the context of medical imaging and treatment.

Preform fabrication for fiber...

Martynas Barkauskas Wins EPIC CEO Award 2026

Thu, 30 Apr 2026 07:00:00 GMT

The European Photonics Industry Consortium (EPIC) has named Martynas Barkauskas, CEO at Light Conversion, as the recipient of the EPIC CEO Award 2026. The award recognizes outstanding leadership in the photonics industry and is selected by the EPIC CEO Award Committee, composed exclusively of previous award winners.

Martynas Barkauskas accepting the EPIC CEO Award during EPIC's Annual General Meeting. Courtesy of EPIC.
Since becoming CEO in 2019, Barkauskas has driven significant growth at Light Conversion, increasing the workforce to nearly 800 specialists, expanding facilities, and increasing revenues from approximately $50 million to over $130 million. This award recognizes these remarkable achievements.

Barkauskas began...