UAlbany Center for Biophotonic Technology and Artificial Intelligence Adds International Research Partner
By Mike Nolan
ALBANY, N.Y. (Dec. 10, 2024)— University at Albany chemist Igor Lednev is adding another research partner to help develop laser-based technologies for forensics and medical diagnostics.
Lednev and Jürgen Popp, the scientific director of the Leibniz Institute of Photonic Technology in Germany, recently celebrated the launch of the Center for Biophotonic Technology and Artificial Intelligence (CeBAI). The joint center, based at UAlbany, is creating new pathways for collaborative research between the two scientists. Both specialize in the use of Raman spectroscopy, a non-destructive laser technique that analyzes the chemical composition of materials.
A third research partner has now been added through a collaboration agreement with the Institute for Molecular Science and Fusion Technology at Kangwon National University in Gangwon, South Korea.
“This collaboration with the Institute for Molecular Science and Fusion Technology fits well to the long-term mission of CeBAI,” said Lednev, a Distinguished Professor in the Department of Chemistry at the College of Arts and Sciences. “We look forward to combining our expertise to commercialize novel technologies that are focused on biophotonics, the study of how light interacts with biological systems.”
“Our new partnership with the Institute for Molecular Science and Fusion Technology opens exciting opportunities for collaboration in the area of medical diagnostics including cancer and artificial intelligence,” added Popp. “In addition to scientific exchange, we will also be training students and postdoctoral fellows to raise the next generation of experts in the field.”
Raman spectroscopy works by shining monochromatic (laser) light on a sample and measuring the scattered radiation. No two samples produce the same scattered light, offering a unique measurement (similar to a fingerprint). The results are instantaneous, with the sample preserved for future testing.
Lednev has pioneered the use of Raman spectroscopy, coupled with advanced machine learning methods, for forensic applications and medical diagnostics over the last decade. His accomplishments include the development of new approaches to identify and characterize biological stains, gunshot residue, hair and other trace evidence recovered at a crime scene, and early diagnostics of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s.
Nearly 4,000 miles across the globe, in Jena, Germany, Jürgen Popp has spent a career dedicated to the research and application of biophotonic and Raman spectroscopic methods to solve biomedical challenges. Among his areas of research focus is the development of Raman spectroscopic methods for rapid diagnosis and a targeted therapy of infectious diseases as well as for intraoperative tumor diagnostics.
The Institute for Molecular Science and Fusion Technology, led by Young Mee Jung of Kangwon National University’s Department of Chemistry, aims to develop new tools for molecular diagnosis and prediction of cancer diseases.
“This agreement will strengthen the global network of researchers that are focused on advancing biphotonic technologies,” Jung said. “We’re excited to contribute to the success of the CeBAI and collaborate on these areas of common interest.”
The institute will focus on research collaboration between the three research labs, along with commercializing their work.
Lednev has already co-founded multiple companies, including SupreMEtric LLC and Early Alzheimer’s Diagnostics LLC, both funded through Small Business Technology Transfer grants. Popp is the co-founder of Biophotonics Diagnostics GmbH, a company focused on AI-based analysis of Raman spectroscopic data.