Projects
An optical imaging system for in vivo bioluminescent and fluorescent imaging in small laboratory animals. KU Leuven
Super-resolved imaging of the swarming behavior of nanoparticles during optical trapping: the role of optohydrodynamics KU Leuven
Half of the Nobel Prize in Physics 2018 was awarded to Prof. Arthur Ashkin for his work in the development of optical trapping (also known as optical tweezers) and its biological implications. Optical trapping is the craft of manipulating objects with light and it is based on the phenomena that light scattering introduces an optical force to a (nano/micro)-structure. This optical force can be used to move this particle in 3D, study its ...
Ultrasensitive multiplexed optical imaging methods: the true meaning of shedding light in the dark. KU Leuven
Luminescent Lanthanide Doped Nanoparticles as Bimodal Contrast Agents for MRI and Optical Imaging. KU Leuven
This manuscript covers the development of five different multimodal contrast agents for MRI and optical imaging, which are all unique in their design and properties.
The first approach involves linking multiple paramagnetic gadolinium(III)-chelates based on 2-[4,7,10-tris(carboxymethyl)-1,4,7,10-tetrazacyclododec-1-yl]acetate (DOTA) ligand to the surface of NaGdF4:Yb3+,Tm3+ upconverting nanoparticles with an average particle size of 20 ...
Synthesis and characterization of amphiphilic lanthanide chelates as potential contrast agents for bimodal MRI and optical imaging KU Leuven
The powerful in vivo technique of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is ubiquitous in clinical diagnostics and optical imaging is becoming an emerging technique of interest. Each imaging technique has its own strengths and weaknesses, the combination of different, complementary techniques can overcome inherent limitations that are associated with one individual technique. Whereas MRI is ideal for whole body images due to its good spatial ...
Enabling advanced optical imaging with photonic integrated circuits KU Leuven
Integrated photonics pushing the boundaries of microscopy Fluorescence microscopy is an indispensable tool in biology and medicine and has fueled many breakthroughs in a wide set of sub-domains. The microscopes, however, are often bulky and expensive systems that require regular maintenance. Additionally, they need to strike a compromise between device size, the size of the field of view, and resolution. The next big push in microscopy with a ...
Super-sensitive fluorescence biochip-based detection by combining freeform optical design and computational imaging Vrije Universiteit Brussel
detection of low-volume, low-concentration biomarkers. Fluorescence
microscopy has been one of the most preferred methods due to its
superiority in detecting specified molecules such as antibodies and
DNA. The development of a disposable, low-cost, super-sensitive
fluorescence-based biochip is crucial for point-of-care clinical
diagnostics. ...
The use of optical imaging tools to study nanomaterials and their therapeutic impact on cancer cells KU Leuven
Over the past decades, the medical exploitation of nanotechnology has been largely increasing and finding its way into translational research and clinical applications. While most clinically approved formulations consist of organic nanomaterials (NMs) (lipid or polymer-based), much effort is put into the further development of inorganic NMs. This mainly stems from the higher control over physicochemical properties and the ability to ...
Development and validation of optical imaging tools for advanced preclinical cancer research KU Leuven
The main aim of the current project lies in the development of a novel in vivo preclinical imaging system that allows researchers to study in a non-invasive manner interesting oncology-related parameters as a function of time at an unprecedented sensitivity. To reach this goal, a recently established imaging method called Aka-BLI will be used, in combination with existing probes to enable a rapid and cost-efficient method for high-throughput ...