Scientific Program Overview

We welcome all participants on the first evening. Meet old and new colleagues over snacks and drinks. You will receive your congress materials at the registration counter.

Welcome Notes by
Igor Lednev
Director of CeBAI, University at Albany, SUNY, United States

and
Jürgen Popp
Co-Director of CeBAI, Scientific Director at Leibniz Institute of Photonic Technology, Jena/DE

Keynote Lecture
Chemical Bond Imaging: Decoding the Chemistry Using Molecular Fingerprints
Ji-Xin Cheng, Boston University, MA, USA

Chair: Orlando Guntinas-Lichius, Jena, Germany

11:00 a.m. – 11:20 a.m. 
Point of Care Assessment using Multi-Modal Spectroscopy (POCAMUM) – Potential in Cardiovascular Disease
Jaishankar Raman, University of Melbourne, Australia

11:20 a.m. – 11:40 a.m.
Intraoperative surgical decision making based on real-time biophotonics
Orlando Guntinas-Lichius, Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germany

11:40 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. 
Illuminating the Gaps: Biophotonics for real-time, non-invasive solutions in reconstructive surgery
Prabhu Senthil-Kumar, Virginia Commonwealth University, VA, USA

Chair: Juergen Popp, Jena Germany

1.15 p.m – 1.35 p.m.
Chemical histopathology with practical infrared spectroscopic imaging instrumentation and algorithms
Kevin Yeh, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, IL, USA

1.35 p.m – 1.55 p.m.
Translating Optical Imaging for Guiding Endocrine Neck Surgery
Anita Mahadevan-Janssen, Vanderbilt University, TN, USA

1.55 p.m – 2.15 p.m.
AI-Enabled Fibre-Based Raman Spectroscopy and Multimodal Nonlinear Imaging for Intraoperative Tumor Margin Assessment and See-and-Treat Workflows
Juergen Popp, Leibniz Institute of Photonic Technology, Jena, Germany

Chair: Igor Lednev, Albany, United States

3.00 p.m – 3.20 p.m.
The Impact of Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia
Elizabeth Smith-Boivin, Alzheimer’s Association, Cohoes, NY, USA

3.20 p.m – 3.40 p.m.
Neuromuscular Diseases Caused by Repeat Expansions and Opportunity for Non-Invasive Biomarkers
Andrew Berglund, University at Albany, SUNY, Albany, USA

3:40 p.m – 4.00 p.m.
Biophotonic Lysosomal Profiling of Cellular Senescence Using LysoTracker Fluorescence Imaging and Automated Single-Cell Analysis
Javier Estrada Toro, University at Albany, SUNY, Albany, USA

4:00 p.m – 4.15 p.m.
Raman Spectroscopy Coupled with Machine Learning as a Universal Tool for Disease Diagnostics
Igor Lednev, University at Albany, SUNY, Albany, USA

Chair: Anja Silge, Jena, Germany

4.15 p.m – 4.25 p.m.
Toward an Optical Digital Twin: AI-Enabled Raman Spectroscopy for Longitudinal Immune Profiling and Translational Diagnostics
Juergen Popp, Leibniz Institute of Photonic Technology, Jena, Germany

4.25 p.m – 4.35 p.m.
Combating Anti-Microbial Resistance by AI-Powered FILM
Ji-Xin Cheng, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA

4:35 p.m – 4.45 p.m.
Personalized Digital Twins for Interventional Healthcare
Laura Marcu, University of California, Davis, CA, USA

4:45 p.m – 4.55 p.m.
Bridging Spectroscopic Data‑Driven Modeling to Clinical Applications
Oleg Ryabchykov, Leibniz Institute of Photonic Technology, Jena, Germany

#1
Real-time Biophotonic Oxygen Monitoring with Fluorescent Nanosensors and Hydrogel Fiber Optics
Elijah Feret
University at Albany, SUNY, Albany, NY, USA

#2
Plasmonic SERS Nanoplatforms for Probing Molecular Signatures of Cancer
Jyothi Nair
Leibniz Institute of Photonic Technology, Jena, Germany

#3
Raman Spectroscopy for the Detection and Identification of Oral Fluid Stains on Common Substrates
Riley Alpuché Carter
University at Albany, SUNY, Albany, NY, USA

#4
Raman Hyperspectroscopy of Saliva and Machine Learning for Sjögren’s Syndrome Diagnostics
Bhavik Vyas
University at Albany, SUNY, Albany, NY, USA

#5
In Vivo Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging of Colorectal Polyps
Nhan Nguyen
University of California, Davis, CA, USA

#6
Vibrational Imaging of Lipid-Associated Enzymes Using Bioorthogonal Small-Molecule Probes
Samir El-Mashtoly
Leibniz Institute of Photonic Technology, Jena, Germany

#7
Deep UV Resonance Raman Spectroscopy (UVRR) for the Detection of GSR
Cody Silverman
University at Albany, SUNY, Albany, NY, USA

#8
High-Performance Miniaturized Raman System for Challenging Applications
Kyle Crosby
Rave Scientific, Somerset, NJ, USA

#9
Grating-Coupled Fluorescence Plasmonics (GC-FP) Biosensor: Expanding from Protein to Nucleic Acid Detection
Dwiti Krushna Das
University at Albany, SUNY, Albany, NY, USA

#10
Point of Care Spectroscopy – Multimodal Biophotonics Probe for Objective Assessment of Burn Injury Severity in the Surgical Burn Unit
Aalap Herur-Raman
Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA

#11
Developing Gene and Spectral Signatures for Sjogren’s Disease Diagnostics
Amina Bhatti
University at Albany, SUNY, Albany, NY, USA

#12
Endoscopic In Vivo Hyperspectral Imaging During Routine Head and Neck Surgery
Orlando Guntinas-Lichius
Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germany

#13
In Vivo Raman Spectroscopy During Routine Head and Neck Cancer Surgery
Orlando Guntinas-Lichius
Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germany

#14
Dry Mass Volume Recovery Using Neural Network Enhanced Bright Field Microscopy
Alireza Sheikhsofla
University at Albany, SUNY, Albany, NY, USA

#15
A Multimodal Laser-Scanning Microscope Integrating O-PTIR and PT-SRS for High-Speed, Sub-Micron Chemical Imaging
Jay Anderson
Photothermal Spectroscopy Corp, Santa Barbara, CA, USA

#16
Spectroscopic Detection of Latent Fingermark Residue for Forensic Applications
Lillian Christensen
University at Albany, SUNY, Albany, NY, USA

#17
Detection of Bodily Fluids in Fingermarks Using Raman Hyperspectroscopy
Mohamed Amin
University at Albany, SUNY, Albany, NY, USA

#18
Deep UV Raman Spectroscopy for Detection and Identification of Gunshot Residue for Forensic Investigations
MacKenzie Gascon
University at Albany, SUNY, Albany, NY, USA

#19
Influence of CO2 Laser on Optical Properties of Human Blood Plasma
Badreldeen Ahmed
Dermatology and Venerology Teaching Hospital, Khartoum, Sudan

Chair: Prabha Balakrishnan Prabhakaran, Albany, United States

9:00 a.m. – 9:20 a.m.
Supporting Research on AI in Medical Diagnostics and Health Informatics
Christopher Yang, U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF)

9:40 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.
Unlocking the Power of Pixels with AI
Pingkun Yan, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, NY, USA

10:00 a.m. – 10:15 a.m.
AI Applications in Medical Diagnostics
Neil Gildener-Leapman Albany Medical Center, NY, USA

Chairs: Praveen Arany, Buffalo, United States and Young Mee Jung, Kangwon National University, South Korea

10:45 a.m. – 11:05 a.m.
Microfluidic Immunoassay Using Encoded Microparticles for Low-Volume Multiplex Detection of Cancer-Associated Proteins
Dong-Ku Kang, Incheon National University, Korea

11:05 a.m. – 11:25 a.m.
Multiplexed SERS Analysis of Extracellular Vesicles for Colorectal Cancer Diagnosis
Young Mee Jung, Kangwon National University, South Korea

11:25 a.m. – 11:45 a.m.
From Vibrational Spectroscopy to Whole-Body Imaging: Multimodal Strategies for Cancer Imaging and Monitoring
Fay Nicolson, Harvard Medical School, MA, USA

11:45 a.m. – 12:05 p.m.
Endogenous Optogenetic Approach to Activate TGF-beta for Anti-Tumor Responses
Praveen Arany, University at Buffalo, SUNY, Buffalo, NY, USA

12:05 p.m. – 12:25 p.m.
Raman Spectral Analysis of Therapeutic Efficacy of Galectin-3 Inhibitor in Prostate Cancer with Machine Learning
Dr. Alexander Khmaladze, University at Albany, SUNY, Albany, NY, USA

Chair: Juergen Popp, Jena, Germany

1:30 p.m. – 1:50 p.m. 
Label-Free Optical Metabolic Imaging of Neutrophils in Infection
Rupsa Datta, Morgridge Institute for Research, Madison, USA

1:50 p.m. – 2:10 p.m.
Trends and opportunities in Raman based infection diagnostics
Anja Silge, Leibniz IPHT, Jena, Germany

2:10 p.m. – 2:30 a.m. 
What Makes a Good Diagnostic Test for Bacterial Infection from a Clinician’s Point of View?
Michael Waxman, Albany Medical Center, Albany, NY, USA

Chair: Nathaniel Cady, Albany, United States

3:15 p.m. – 3:35 p.m.
Deploying Point of Care Technologies in Limited Resource Settings: Lessons from Cancer, Infection, and Nutrition
David Erickson, Cornell University, NY, USA

3:35 p.m. – 3:55 p.m.
Wafers to Chips; 300mm CMOS Foundry Compatible Silicon Photonics
Christopher Baiocco, AIM Photonics, Albany, NY, USA

3:55 p.m. – 4:15 p.m. 
A Disposable Photonics Approach to Multiplex Diagnostics
Benjamin Miller, University of Rochester, NY, USA

Join us for the Conference Dinner — an evening of great food, lively conversation, and relaxed networking with fellow participants. All registered attendees are warmly invited. Further details will be published on the conference website shortly. We look forward to celebrating together!

Keynote Lecture
Optical Coherence Elastography and Brillouin Spectroscopy for Tissue Biomechanics
Kirill Larin, University of Houston, TX, USA

Chair: Jaishankar Raman, Melbourne, Australia

9:45 a.m. – 10:05 a.m.
Translational Efforts for Digital Chemical Pathology with Infrared Laser Scanning Microscopy
Kevin Yeh, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, IL, USA

10:05 a.m. – 10:25 a.m.
Multi-Modal Spectroscopic Evaluation of Banked Frozen Cardiac Tissue
Jaishankar Raman, University of Melbourne, Australia

10:25 a.m. – 10:45 a.m.
Multimodal Vibrational Spectroscopy Evaluating Atrial Tissue
James Grant, St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia

10:45 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
Potential Applications of Vibrational Spectroscopy in Plastic Surgery and Burns Treatment
Prabhu Senthil-Kumar, Virginia Commonwealth University, VA, USA

Moderator: Gabriele Hamm, Jena, Germany