Enhancing Tumor Classification with AI and Raman: A Conversation with Juergen Popp

The Photonics West Conference took place this year from January 25-30 in San Francisco, California. This event showcased the latest advancements in photonics research and technology, featuring thousands of presentations on topics such as lasers, biomedical optics, biophotonics, quantum technologies, and optoelectronics.

Juergen Popp was one of the speakers at Photonics West this year. Popp is the Scientific Director at the Leibniz Institute for Photonics Technology, a position that he has held since 2006 (1–3). He has also held a chair in Physical Chemistry at the University of Jena (2). He has published more than 1,000 papers over his career, delivering over 50 keynote lectures at many of the important scientific conferences (3).

At Photonics West, Popp delivered a talk titled “Biophotonics Meets AI: Transforming Cancer and Infection Diagnostics.” His talk highlighted advanced label-free spectroscopic techniques, enhanced by AI, for precise tumor margin control, tumor typing, and personalized treatment planning (2).

In this video interview, Popp provides an overview of his talk and the ongoing research of Raman spectroscopy in infection treatment, focusing on rapid pathogen identification, resistance profiling, immune response analysis, and treatment evaluation.

In this video interview, Popp answers the following questions:

• How do your label-free spectroscopic approaches improve the precision of tumor margin control compared to existing methods?
• Could you elaborate on the role artificial intelligence plays in enabling reliable tumor typing and classification?
• What challenges have you encountered in integrating AI-driven spectroscopic data into personalized medicine, and how do you address them?
• Can you explain how Raman spectroscopy is applied to determine immune responses and identify pathogens?
• Can you describe your experience at Photonics West this year? What were your favorite parts of the conference?

This interview is part of our conference coverage this year for Photonics West. To check out our latest conference coverage, click here.

References

1. SPIE Photonics West, Main Homepage. SPIE.org. Available at: https://spie.org/conferences-and-exhibitions/photonics-west (accessed 2025-01-15).
2. Popp, J. Biophotonics Meets AI: Transforming Cancer and Infectious Diagnostics. Presented at the SPIE Photonics West Conference, San Francisco, California, January 27, 2025. Available at: https://spie.org/photonics-west/presentation/Biophotonics-meets-AI-transforming-cancer-and-infection-diagnostics/13311-1 (accessed 2025-01-15).
3. Wetzel, W. Photonics West: Previewing the Spectroscopy Keynote Sessions. Spectroscopy. Available at: https://www.spectroscopyonline.com/view/photonics-west-previewing-the-spectroscopy-keynote-sessions (accessed 2025-02-04).