Biophotonics and Analytics – HOT – Hannover Centre for Optical Technologies

Cytochrome-c - a protein to see into bacteria.

Raman spectrum of a Nitrosomonas bacterium.

As part of its applied research in optical technologies, the HOT works on several focal topics from the fields of biophotonics, life sciences, and environmental analytics.

Currently, our work focuses on

microplastics: online-detection in flowing drinking water
microalgae: carotenoid analysis and effects of environmental stress
bacteria: non-invasive analysis of relative relatedness („in vivo phylogeny“)
biofilms: non-invasive observation over time, species identification, and 3D structure
human skin: optical analytics (dermatoscopy, melanoma thickness, quantification of carotenoids, vitamin D synthesis)
inner ear: non-invasive optical diagnostics
proteins: functional analysis

Experimental Methods and Data Analysis

For this, we are working on new or improved experimental and data analysis methods:

Multivariate and cluster analysis: for the discrimination and grouping of spectra
Raman Resonance Profiles: high-resolution resonance profiles, molecular identfication, and tunable Rayleigh-filters
Simulation and image processing: Raman spectra, OCT, opto acoustics, photophysics and -chemistry

Optical Methods

Our most often used optical methods are

confocal Raman microscopy (spatial resolution at cell level; molecular information)
resonance Raman spectroscopy (molecular and molecular group-information)
absorption- and transmission spectroscopy
holographic microscopy
opto acoustics
optical coherent tomography (OCT)

and the combination of these methods.

Research Projects

OCT

Led by: B. Roth, M. Rahlves

Year: 2011
ODONTO

Year: 2011
RRS-OA

Led by: M. Wollweber

Year: 2011

Funding: DFG
Research Initiative "Water and Security"

Led by: B. Roth, M. Wollweber

Team: A.-K. Kniggendorf

Year: 2011
Skin cancer screening

Development of a digital dermoscopy device with extended diagnostic scope for automated whole-body skin cancer screening (early detection of melanoma)

Led by: M. Wollweber

Year: 2012
Determination of melanoma thickness via optoacoustics and optical coherence tomography (OCT)

Development of a method for the preoperative determination of the thickness of melanoma suspicious skin lesions.

Led by: B. Roth, M. Wollweber, U. Morgner, M. Rahlves

Year: 2013

Funding: BMBF
OPTIMUS -Raman spectroscopy of microplastics, microbes, and trace elements

online detection of contaminated microplastics in streaming drinking water with Raman spectroscopy for the BMBF joint project OPTIMUS.

Led by: B. Roth

Team: A.-K. Kniggendorf

Year: 2016

Funding: Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (BMBF)
Smartphone based optical point of care tests

Led by: K. Bremer, B. Roth

Team: M. Rahlves

Year: 2017

Funding: Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Energie (BMWi) und Europäischer Sozialfond (ESF)
AMIRA - Analysis of microbial relations in vivo using Raman microscopy

Projekt AMIRA is a cooperation between HOT and the department for Hydrobiology and Environmental Biotechnology at the Institute for Sanitary Engineering and Waste Management (ISAH) of the LUH and intends to establish cytochrome c-resonant Raman microscopy (CRRM) for the continuous analysis of bacterial relations in native, undisturbed biofilms in vivo and in situ with a resolution at cell level. This will allow for the time the direct observation of ongoing biofilm formation including phylogenetic information and phenotypic adaptation in complex biofilms in vivo.

Led by: A.-K. Kniggendorf

Year: 2018

Funding: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - 397827619