The Biophotonics Future

20th April 2005

Teacher Building (IEE)

St Enoch Square, Glasgow

Registration from 13.30

 

SPEAKERS

 

Dr John Girkin, Associate Director, Institute of Photonics

John joined the Institute in July 1996. His main responsibility is in the development of the Institute's applications-based activities. He obtained his PhD from the University of Southampton, before working in industry, developing commercial diode-pumped Nd:YAG lasers. Immediately prior to joining the Institute, John worked for Keeler Ltd, producing novel instruments for the treatment and diagnosis of a range of ophthalmic diseases, including the first commercial diode laser ophthalmic photocoagulator. These systems are now being sold worldwide. His research interests are primarily into the use of photonics in the biotechnology arena, including the application and development of femtosecond lasers for multiphoton imaging. 

 

Professor Anthony P F Turner, PhD, DSc, FRSC, Head of Cranfield University at Silsoe  

Tony Turner is one of the world's principal figures in analytical biotechnology and blends active research with consultancy, management and developing business for the University and its clients. As Head of Cranfield University at Silsoe he is responsible for the National Soil Resources Institute, the Institute of Water and Environment, the Institute of BioScience and Technology and is Chairman of Cranfield Postgraduate Medical School. His design and development work has been applied to many commercial devices including the world's most successful biosensor to date, the Medisense home blood glucose monitor. He has over 500 publications and patent applications. The vast number of contacts gained from many years as a consultant, expert witness or on secondment to governments, international companies and universities means that he has an unmatched overview of the life sciences and their industrial implications.

 

Current research interests include design and fabrication of diagnostic devices, biosensors, chemical sensors, biomimetic sensors, enzyme electrodes, immunosensors, DNA chips, electrochemistry, optics, bioinformatics, electronic noses, supramolecular technology, molecular imprinting, combinatorial chemistry, molecular modelling, capillary electrophoresis, environmental diagnostics, medical diagnostics and rapid detection of infection and infectious agents.

 

·         Professor of Biosensor Technology and Head of Cranfield University at Silsoe.

·         Editor-in-Chief, international journal Biosensors and Bioelectronics,

·         Author of >500 publications including the principal text Biosensors: Fundamentals and Applications.

·         Winner of a number of prizes and awards including the Mid-Bedfordshire Innovation Award, National Physical Laboratory Award for Measurement, the ATB Milano Award and the Hewlett Packard Instrumentation Prize.

·         Managing Director of Silsoe Ventures Ltd., a company wholly owned by Cranfield University.

·         Director and Chairman of the Scientific Advisory Board, Pelikan Technologies Inc, USA. - Press release - Nov 04

·         Served as an expert witness in patent litigations on three continents.

·         Chair of the World Congress on Biosensors and Programme Chair of the World Congress on Synthetic Receptors.

 

 

Dr Wolfgang Becker

Becker & Hickl GmbH, Nahmitzer Damm 30, 12277 Berlin, Germany

 

Michael MacDonald

Optical Trapping Group, University of St Andrews

Mike gained a BSc in Laser Physics and Optoelectronics from Strathclyde University in 1996 before moving to Berne University where he did a MSc (1996) and a PhD (2000) specialising in high power solid state lasers. He has worked as a Research Fellow in the Optical Trapping Group since 2000. His research interests include, optical tweezing, biological applications of optical manipulation and solid state laser systems.

The research of the Optical Trapping Group covers a range of both pure and applied physics. They are primarily concerned with the application of laser beams to trap and manipulate particles and atoms. Their work includes laser cooling of atoms and atomic guiding, optical tweezers and optical manipulation with applications in biophotonics, studies of novel light beams (including Bessel beams and Laguerre-Gaussian beams) and the development of laser diode systems for internal use and in new sensing and metrology applications.

The group is headed by Professor Dholakia and currently contains 8 postdoctoral researchers and 12 PhD students. Their work is funded by a number of sources, including the EPSRC, the MRC, the NERC, the Leverhulme Trust, the Royal Society of Chemistry, the ESF, Scottish Enterprise, SHEFC and the Royal Society.

 

CASE STUDIES

·         COSMIC, Trevor Whittley

Collaborative Optical Spectroscopy, Micromanipulation and Imaging Centre. COSMIC is a highly cross-disciplinary centre for optical characterisation, control and imaging of complex materials. The centre is committed to providing leadership in research services to industry and training based on the development and use of optical techniques for innovative applications in the physical and life sciences.

 

·         Pro2Kem, Dr Roger White

Pro2Kem specialises in the design and development of high performance, low cost tools for the global bioanalysis market.

Advances centre on the development of novel micro-engineered (“Lab-on-a-chip”) separators and laser light scattering detectors, designed to enable rapid biopolymer analysis for the determination of molecular mass, size and conformation distributions.