Biomedical optics has been increasingly applied to the screening, surveillance and diagnosis of diseases, as well as the non-invasive monitoring of physiological status of tissue/organs in vivo. The interaction between light and biological tissue involves mainly scattering and absorption, which can be modeled analytically with the framework of the Radiative Transport Equation (RTE) or numerically with the Monte Carlo method. With sufficient understanding and appropriate modeling of light-tissue interactions, the clinically relevant and useful information can be extracted from optical signals measured from tissue. The following techniques will be introduced:
1. Diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) and imaging
2. Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) and tomography
3. Tissue oximetry using DRS or NIRS
4. Fluorescence spectroscopy
5. Single (few) scattering techniques
6. Raman scattering spectroscopy
Other optical techniques related to the non-invasive diagnosis or monitoring of physiological conditions will be reviewed by the students (topics chosen by the students). Note that techniques using only ballistic photons to provide signals (e.g. confocal microscopy and non-linear microscopy) are NOT covered in this course.