Welcome to the Biomedical Spectroscopy Laboratory at the University of Rochester. We are part of The Institute of Optics, and we are located in the Robert B. Goergen Hall for Biomedical Engineering and Optics on the fourth floor, room 435. The lab head is Professor Andrew Berger.
Our group develops biomedical sensing methods using spectroscopy, microscopy, and other light-based approaches. Our current projects include:
- Noninvasive bone fracture risk assessment using Raman (inelastic scattering) spectroscopy. To do this work on living mice, we have developed a noncontact method that measures the bone’s chemical composition but “optically ignores” the presence of overlying soft tissue. Read more here.
- Monitoring how single cells respond differently to the same stimuli, using angularly-resolved elastic light scattering. We calculate 2D scattering patterns from complex-field images of single cells, and then we model the data using Mie theory to characterize the organelle size distribution. Read more here.
- Improved documentation of bruising in dark-skinned victims of interpersonal violence. There is anecdotal evidence that people of color have greater difficulty obtaining restraining orders because their bruising is less visible. We are comparing visible, UV, and IR imaging to determine ways to heighten contrast and make this process more equitable. Read more here.