Institute of Biomedical Optics, University Lübeck, Germany (BMO)

Emanated from the Medizinisches Laserzentrum Lübeck GmbH (MLL), the Institute of Biomedical Optics (BMO) at the University Lübeck uses optical and laser technologies for high resolution imaging and precise and selective manipulation in medicine, biology and biotechnology. Main research areas are photodynamic therapy (PDT), novel selective retina therapies, nano surgery, and optical diagnosis. For more than ten years technology for fluorescence diagnosis and OCT is being developed and applied to ophthalmology, dermatology, urology, gynaecology, ENT, and neurosurgery. Two spin-off companies which commercialised TD- and FD-OCT devices spawned from the BMO.

As a Senior Scientist Gereon Hüttmann leads the optical diagnosis group of the BMO which recently developed the first commercially available spectral radar system. Also first in vivo images with a compact TD OCT without moving parts were demonstrated. The group did pioneering work on non-ophthalmologic OCT building and clinically testing the first rigid endoscope for OCT diagnosis of tumours of the bladder and the vocal fold. A first mono-mode fibre array suitable for OCT was developed as an approach for flexible miniature probe without moving parts. The group is also leading in intrasurgical OCT by seamless integration of OCT in an operating microscope. The first OCT diagnosis during tumour brain surgery was done at the University Lübeck. Recently, the optical diagnosis group of the BMO is applying multiphoton tomography (MT) for functional imaging of native and malignant tissues with cellular resolution. Together with clinical partners specific fluorescence life-time contrast was demonstrated for certain cell types and brain tumour tissue.

The BMO will be leading the work packages delivery probe technology (WP3) that will develop and implement beam delivery systems for functional OCT of retina, skin and endoscopic OCT. Emphasis will be put on the demands form the clinical side to provide optimal benefit for the medical diagnosis. The BMO will also contribute to the development and implementation of spectroscopic OCT (WP 6) by providing nanoparticle contrast agents and expertise in OCT spectrometer. Beside of the development of a combined OCT/MT imaging system for skin in WP3, the BMO will also contribute to WP 8 by investigating principle aspects of using ultra-short, ultra-broadband pulses for MT.

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As a Senior Scientist Gereon Hüttmann leads the optical diagnosis group of the BMO (2 scientists, 1 post-doc, 2 PhD students and 2 engineers)