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Research avenues

The primary long-term objective of our research program is to develop novel fiber optic-based biosensing technologies implementable in high-performing yet low-cost point-of-care diagnostic instruments. We also explore parallel research avenues that are connected to our primary program either through the core technologies involved or through a similar end-goal.

Research endeavors currently being tackled include the following:

Biomechanical sensing

The relevance of biomechanics in disease progression and diagnosis is increasingly recognized. Traditional techniques available to probe biomechanics are often tedious or alter the sample through contact. Brillouin spectroscopy is emerging as a powerful technique to measure mechanical properties of tissues and cells with light. It has the potential to assist early diagnostics of various conditions, including for instance osteoarthritis. There are major obstacles however that hinder research and prohibit deployment, in particular the cost, size, complexity, and performance limitations of current instruments. Our primary vision is to convert complex Brillouin spectroscopy systems into simple photonic sensors. We focus our efforts on the development of novel fiber-based systems, an avenue currently unexplored. We also tackle the advancement of laboratory-based instruments and associated components for more demanding research applications.

• Fiber Bragg grating-based Brillouin (and low frequency Raman) filters

• Free space and fiber-based Bio-Brillouin spectrometers

• Modelling of defect-limited etalons

Biochemical sensing

A number of promising point-of-care diagnostic platforms (and environmental sensors) are centered on the detection of biochemical markers with photonic sensors. Fiber-optic based approaches in particular have many inherent advantages such as low cost, small form factor, biocompatibility, etc. Tilted fiber Bragg grating sensors are particularly attractive, especially upon nanomaterial- and bio-functionalization. In addition to those noted above, they have key advantages such as selectivity, high sensitivity, and elimination of physical cross-sensitivities. Extensive progress in tilted fiber grating biosensing has been made in the last decade and the detection of many targets have been demonstrated (various toxins, proteins, viruses, cells, etc). Yet, tilted fiber grating sensors have yet to shine significantly outside academic laboratories, in particular due to scalability and instrument cost limitations. Moreover, the potential of tilted grating sensors beyond standard refractive index-based sensing is largely unexplored. We focus our efforts on developing the technologies required to allow large-scale field deployments and unlock their full potential.

• Fiber-based DNA amplification and detection

• Tilted fiber Bragg grating spectrum analyzers

• Flame spray pyrolysis fiber sensors (collaboration with CU’s EPTL & Prof. Jacques Albert)

Parallel avenues

We are interested in all sorts of other sensing applications and platforms, including:

• Magnon sensing – Spin wave Brillouin spectrometers

• Flame temperature sensing – Understanding the combustion of nickel tetracarbonyl (collaboration with CU’s EPTL)

• Integrated photonic platforms – UV trimming of PLC chips (collaboration with Enablence Technologies)