Photo left, Dhiraj Sardar, professor of physics and photo right, Sardar's
students at work in the laser laboratory on West Campus.
UTSA partners to create biophotonics research center
(Oct. 25, 2002)--The University of Texas at San Antonio is one of 10 institutions nationwide selected to partner in developing a research center for biophotonics, the use of light and other energies to better understand and work with biological materials such as cells and tissues.
Biophotonics technology has potential application in the development of
new medical lasers; DNA sequencing; identifying and imaging molelcules within
cells; and the development of photodynamic drug therapies.
Funded by a $40 million, 10-year National Science Foundation (NSF) grant,
the Center for Biophotonics Science and Technology (CBST) will be based at
the University of California, Davis, and will comprise multiple research projects
conducted by scientists at each collaborating institution.
Partners in addition to UTSA and UC Davis are Stanford University, Louisiana
State University, Fisk University, Hampton University, Alabama A&M University,
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and University of California components
at Berkeley and San Francisco.
UTSA's proposal was written by Professor Dhiraj Sardar, recently honored
by the American Physical Society for his research on lasers and for his support
of research opportunities for undergraduate physics students.
"That UTSA is partnering with this elite group of institutions is a testament
to the tremendous research work being done by our students and faculty, as
well as to the caliber of our facilities," said Sardar.
Sardar's laboratory will focus on laser light's interactions with biological
materials and the optical characterization of tissues to understand their
interaction. His findings should prove useful in the development of non-invasive
diagnostic and therapeutic tools for medical application.
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UTSA partners to create biophotonics research center
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© The University of Texas at San Antonio, 2002