Presenting on “Achieving optical transparency in live animals based on nanophotonics”.

Guosong Hong, PhD, Assistant Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at Stanford University, will speak on Thursday, April 3, 2025 at 10:00 am CT in Whitaker 218.

Abstract: Light is used in a wide range of methods in biology and medicine, ranging from fluorescence imaging, optogenetics, photoactivatable gene editing, light-controlled immunotherapy, to photochemotherapy for treating cancers and viral infections. A critical challenge for all light-based methods in live biological tissues arises from the poor penetration of photons, largely due to scattering and absorption. As a result, a number of ex vivo tissue clearing approaches have been developed; however, the necessity to remove water or lipids and the use of toxic substances limit the utility of these approaches for in vivo applications. As a result, for in vivo applications where light is needed in the deep tissue, invasive procedures are often required, such as insertion of optical fibers and endoscopes, as well as surgical removal of overlying tissues (e.g., craniotomy). To address these challenges, my lab has developed a new approach to achieve optical transparency in live biological tissues based on advances in nanophotonics. We have shown that biological tissues can be transparentized in a reversible and repeatable manner in living rodents. I will conclude my talk by presenting an outlook on how this approach may facilitate deep-tissue imaging through an optically transparent biological window.

Registration to attend virtually is required. Please register.