The Optical Solution in Biosensing

Friday, April 26, 2013

1:30pm | 115 Teer

Presenter

Francesco Baldini , Ph.D.

Optical sensing has played an important role in medicine since the 1990s mainly thanks to the invasive capabilities and unique performance of the optical fibers that have allowed measurements inside the human body that would otherwise be impracticable.
The sensors for medical diagnostics can be classified in three main classes: i) invasive sensors, where the sensor enter the human body using suitable catheters/tubing; ii) minimally invasive sensors, which limit their contact with the human body, for example to the tissue, and iii) not invasive sensors, where the device has no contact with the human body and the measurement is performed on biological samples drawn from the patient.
In recent years, the importance of optics in the biomedical area has been increasing owing to the advent of nanophotonics, which is opening completely new perspectives. Thanks to the reduction of the probe size to nanoparticles, optical nanosensors have been developed, which penetrate the cell membrane and measure chemical and biochemical analytes directly inside the cell.

Francesco Baldini graduated in physics from the University of Florence magna cum laude in 1986. Since 1986 he joined the Optical Fiber Group at the Institute of Electromagnetic Wave of CNR in Florence (now named Institute of Applied Physics). His research activity was devoted to the development of optical fibre sensors and to the application of optical methods to the restoration of paintings and frescoes. Now he is active in the field of optical fibre sensors/systems for chemical and biochemical parameters. He is author of more than 120 publications on the subject in International Journals, in scientific books and in International Conference Proceedings and was invited speaker at many international Conferences. He is presently coordinator of the STREP EC project NANODEM- Nanophotonic device for multiple therapeutic drug monitoring (2012-2016) and was coordinator of the European project COMOCADOF-Continuous Monitoring of Gastric Carbon Dioxide with Optical Fibres. He is/was responsible for the Institute of Applied Physics in many international (CAREMAN, CLINICIP, OFOSEAM), national and regional projects. He is responsible of the Chemical and biochemical optical sensor group at the Institute of Applied Physics.