To promote and encourage the cutting-edge technology development in the field of biomedical applications, the department of biotechnology (DBT) has invited proposals on development of next generation imaging technologies for biomedical applications.

The research initiatives will be focused on different aspects of optical/non-optical imaging including next generation optical and non-optical microscopy and spectroscopy; optical diagnostics and biophotonics; and optical instrumentation development.

Officials in the DBT said that optical imaging has now become unambiguously the most promising modality in clinical practice and research. Over the last few years there has been a tremendous growth in optical imaging methods in biomedical optics that have become critical tools for translational research. The main drive is to develop novel, non-invasive imaging modalities for various biomedical applications.

It is felt that to develop next generation imaging technologies integrating multiple modalities there is immense need for multi-disciplinary partnerships between biologists, engineers, physicists, chemists, mathematicians and computational experts to drive this technological innovation. It is in this background the DBT is starting the research on development of next generation imaging technologies to promote and encourage the cutting-edge technology development in this field.

The research under 'next generation optical and non-optical microscopy and spectroscopy' will focus on development of novel non-invasive imaging tools/techniques involving development of new probes, fluorescent proteins and dyes to enable the non-invasive study of gene expression, protein function, protein-protein interactions and cellular processes; imaging approaches utilizing optical spectroscopy (e.g. Raman spectroscopy, FTIR spectroscopy) for early prognosis of cancer; development and refinement of existing technologies to design novel sensors and detectors and for other biomedical applications and development of macroscopic florescent imaging techniques for whole-animal or tissue imaging.

In the area of 'Optical Diagnostics and Biophotonics', the study will focus on optical coherence tomography (OCT): light sources, systems, and applications; optical diffusion tomography; novel laser methods, instrumentation, and technologies in biophotonics and nanobiophotonics; and  3-D imaging techniques using other modalities to unravel the molecular basis of human diseases utilizing fMRI, CT, Ultrasound-modulated Computed Tomography, PET, SPECT, or a combination of modalities.

In the area of 'optical instrumentation development', the study will focus on development of new approaches for information visualization and extraction; development of powerful algorithms for meaningful extraction of information; and development of better and faster software to improve the speed of image acquisition.

Scientists working in the universities, national institutes/laboratories with sound scientific backgrounds are eligible for this study. Scientists with collaborators from inter-disciplinary fields would also be considered.