Photonics West: Previewing the Spectroscopy Keynote Sessions

The SPIE Photonics West Conference in taking place this year from January 25–30 in San Francisco, California. The conference will spotlight the latest technologies and ongoing research in photonics. Topics discussed during this conference include lasers, biomedical optics, biophotonics technology and research, optoelectronics, and more (1). Here are a few keynote sessions that experts won’t want to miss.

The Golden Gate Bridge at Sunset, San Francisco, CA | Image Credit: © heyengel - stock.adobe.com

One of the first sessions on January 27^th will feature a keynote presentation by Jurgen Popp of Leibniz-Institut für Photonische Technologien e.V. (Germany). Since 2002, Juergen Popp has held a chair in Physical Chemistry at the University of Jena, Germany, and has served as Scientific Director of the Leibniz Institute of Photonic Technology since 2006. His research focuses on biophotonics, spanning fundamental photonic studies to clinical applications. Popp has published more than 1,000 journal papers, holds 15 patents, and has delivered over 200 invited talks, including over 50 keynote lectures.

Popp’s talk, titled “Biophotonics Meets AI: Transforming Cancer and Infectious Diagnostics,” will highlight advanced label-free spectroscopic techniques, enhanced by artificial intelligence (AI), for precise tumor margin control, tumor typing, and personalized treatment planning (2). Additionally, it will showcase the application of Raman spectroscopy in infection treatment, focusing on rapid pathogen identification, resistance profiling, immune response analysis, and treatment evaluation (2).

Anja Silge of the Leibniz-Institut für Photonische Technologien e.V. will deliver a keynote presentation on January 27^th. Silge oversees research in spectroscopic methods for biological systems and diagnostics. Since 2024, she has also served as Deputy Leader of the Spectroscopy and Imaging Department. Her work advances photonic diagnostics, including Raman-based workflows, which enhance pathogen identification and host response analysis, particularly for blood diagnostics and bedside applications (3). Silge’s presentation is titled, “Trends and Opportunities in Raman-based Infection Diagnostics,” and it will delve into her latest research (3).

A third keynote will be delivered by Zhiwei Huang, a professor at the National University in Singapore on January 27^th. His talk, titled “Miniaturized Fiberoptic Raman Techniques for In Vivo Cancer Diagnosis and Post-treatment Follow-up in Clinical Settings,” will highlight the development of miniaturized fiberoptic Raman spectroscopy techniques for real-time, label-free cancer diagnosis and tumor margin delineation during endoscopic examinations (4). Capable of capturing fingerprint and high wavenumber spectra within 1 second, the method Huang will present in his talk achieved >90% diagnostic accuracy for GI cancer detection and has applications in other organs like the bladder and head and neck (4).

Jennifer (Jen) Dionne, a Professor of Materials Science and of Radiology at Stanford University, will deliver a keynote presentation titled, “Label-free Profiling of the Tumor Immune Microenvironment via Metasurface-driven Surface-enhanced Raman Spectroscopy” on January 27^th. Her talk will introduce a spatial-omics platform using surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) for rapid, subcellular profiling to predict therapeutic responses in cancer treatment (5). By integrating silicon-based metasurfaces with machine learning (ML), the approach enables non-destructive differentiation and functional state characterization of the tumor microenvironment in melanoma (5).

Peter Gardner, a Professor of Analytical and Biomedical Spectroscopy in the Department of Chemical Engineering and the Photon Science Institute at the University of Manchester, will deliver a keynote presentation titled, “Separating Pussycats and Tigers: Risk Stratification of Prostate Cancer Using Infrared Imaging.” Gardner’s talk will showcase using infrared (IR) hyperspectral imaging (HSI) and ML to identify low-risk prostate cancer patients with poor survival outcomes, suggesting the need for more aggressive treatment strategies (6).

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. Silge, A. Trends and Opportunities in Raman-based Infection Diagnostics. Presented at the SPIE Photonics West Conference, San Francisco, California, January 27, 2025. Available at: https://spie.org/photonics-west/presentation/Trends-and-opportunities-in-Raman-based-infection-diagnostics/13298-200 (accessed 2025-01-15).
4. Huang, Z. Miniaturized Fiberoptic Raman Techniques for In Vivo Cancer Diagnosis and Post-treatment Follow-up in Clinical Settings. Presented at the SPIE Photonics West Conference, San Francisco, California, January 27, 2025. Available at: https://spie.org/photonics-west/presentation/Miniaturized-fiberoptic-Raman-techniques-for-in-vivo-cancer-diagnosis-and/13311-2 (accessed 2025-01-15).
5. Dionne, J. Label-free Profiling of the Tumor Immune Microenvironment via Metasurface-driven Surface-enhanced Raman Spectroscopy. Presented at the SPIE Photonics West Conference, San Francisco, California, January 27, 2025. Available at: https://spie.org/photonics-west/presentation/Label-free-profiling-of-the-tumor-immune-microenvironment-via-metasurface/13311-4 (accessed 2025-01-15).
6. Gardner, P. Separating Pussycats and Tigers: Risk Stratification of Prostate Cancer Using Infrared Imaging. Presented at the SPIE Photonics West Conference, San Francisco, California, January 27, 2025. Available at: https://spie.org/photonics-west/presentation/Separating-pussycats-and-tigers--Risk-stratification-of-prostate-cancer/13311-9 (accessed 2025-01-15).