Probing Life with Photons

Highlighted News

January 2024, Jie recieved the SPIE Translational Research Award for his work on "Translational development of antimicrobial blue light for wound infection control: new therapeutic window, treatment regimen, and wearable device".  The award ceremony was held during SPIE Photonics West, Jan 28, along with his invited presentation as highlighted by Photonics West Show Daily.

February 2022, initiated by a very simple and fun H2O2 bubble experiment, we identified catalase, a reactive oxygen specie-detoxifying enzyme, as one of the underlying molecular targets of blue light to kill superbugs. Please check this new finding through our newly published papers: one for bacterial superbugs [Link], and the other for fungal superbugs [Link]. 

May 2020, our phototherapy approach to combat antibiotic resistance is featured by BU Brink.  This paper unveils in details how blue light disrupts MRSA cell membrane and how it revives conventional antibiotics against MRSA. [Link]

April 2019, our story using blue light to kill superbug, MRSA, via photolysis of staphyloxanthin is featured by BU Brink! Please check to see how it impacts the research field and how it draws directly attention from many patients! [Link]

December 2018, Jie wins the prestigious 2019 SPIE-Franz Hillenkamp Postdoctoral Fellowship Award based on his drug-free antimicrobial phototherapy research [Link]! The annual award supports interdisciplinary problem-driven research and provide opportunities for translating new technologies into clinical practice for improving human health. Jie will receive recognition during the BiOS Hot Topics session at 2019 SPIE Photonics West Conference in San Francisco.

May 2017, our paper reporting video-rate intravascular photoacoustic imaging is now published online. With multiple device/instrumentation innovations, we have achieved the unprecedented video-rate speed that allows accurate and real-time imaging of lipid-laden plaques in highly dynamic environment, e.g. in vivo animal models and in human patients. For more details, please check here. [Link]

March 2016, our review on bond-selective photoacoustic imaging is now published online. Through this review, we explain how the reliable photoacoustic detection of lipids in the presence of strong water absorption is achieved for the first time, and further summarize the key applications for photoacoustic imaging of lipids. [Link]