Biophotonics in Africa Powered by Light Technology Applied to Medical Work

Abstract

Biophotonics technologies can be designed to provide unique, dynamic information about tissue structure and biochemical composition. Their impact spans from medical diagnostic and therapeutic devices to consumer-based wearable sensors. With advances in device miniaturization and high-performance biophotonics com-ponents, the line between conventional medical instruments and consumer devices is becoming increasingly blurred. Health care economic pressures are further accelerating this ambiguity by shifting clinical attention from expensive disease treatments to strategies for cost-effective disease management and prevention. This clinical research collaboration introduces emerging biophotonics technologies that are capable of characterizing brain tissue structure and biochemical composition spanning from micro to macroscopic regimes.