The course provides the fundamentals of the interactions of light and living organisms and the biomedical use of the light. The course includes study of photophysics, photosynthesis, penetration of light in human tissues, fluorescence and bioluminescence photosensory, and ultraviolet radiation effects. Biomedical applications related to photodiagnosis, photosensitivity diseases, phototherapeutics, photodynamic therapy and photosensitizing drugs are discussed in detail.
teacher profile teaching materials
Björn LO. Photobiology: The Science of Life and Light, 2nd edition. Springer-Verlag, New York. 2008.
Programme
The Course provides the fundamentals of light and living organism interactions, focusing on using light for diagnosis and therapy. Photoproduction of energy (photosynthesis and its applications in green energy production), photophysical phenomena, light propagation in human tissues, and use of light in treating tumors and other pathologies are described in detail. Biomedical applications related to photodiagnosis, photosensitivity, phototherapy, photodynamic therapy, and photosensitizing drugs are examined. In addition, part of the course covers topics related to Optogenetics, a novel technique that uses light to control neurons, which have been genetically modified to express light-sensitive ion channels. Optogenetics uses a combination of optical and genetic techniques to control the activities of individual neurons in living tissues.Core Documentation
Prasad PN. Introduction to Biophotonics 2nd edition. Wiley-Interscience, Hoboken, NJ. 2003;Björn LO. Photobiology: The Science of Life and Light, 2nd edition. Springer-Verlag, New York. 2008.
Attendance
Attendance is not mandatory, although regular attendance is strongly recommended.Type of evaluation
Oral exam.