Biophotonics Book

Optical technologies, including microscopy and spectroscopy methods, are described in Biophotonics: Visions for Better Health Care. The 621-page volume represents a three-year research program funded by the German government, under which physicists, physical chemists, biologists and physicians worked together to develop techniques to address medical and biological problems. It begins with an overview of the state of the field in Germany and elsewhere, and considers online monitoring of airborne allergenic particles, including such areas as sampling and pattern recognition. Among other topics covered are bioaerosols, hybrid optodes, microarray biochips, regenerative surgery, digital microscopy, singly labeled probes, early diagnosis of cancer, and methods for marker-free live-cell and tumor analysis. Charts, diagrams, references and an index are provided. Jürgen Popp and Marion Strehle, eds.; Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim, Germany, 2006; $165, €129.