LBRC has a long track record of successful service projects (SPs) where cutting-edge laser spectroscopy and photonics technologies are used creatively to solve biomedical problems. SPs are key venues for LBRC to bring its mature, newly developed technologies into the laboratories of a broader group of investigators. More specifically, the center has commissioned two classes of instruments to serve our SP collaborators. The first kind consisting of instruments such as point-scanning multiphoton microscopy, multi-focal multiphoton microscope, spectral-resolved multiphoton microscope, quantitative phase microscope, tomographic phase microscopes, and Raman confocal microscope are housed at MIT and are available to SP collaborators visiting the center. The other class of instruments, which includes high-sensitivity Raman spectrometers and spectroscopic tissue scanner, are field deployable and can be shipped to the laboratories of our SP collaborators on a long-term loan basis. Some of our collaborators include Cornell University, John Hopkins University, University of Missouri, University of Connecticut, Stanford University, and Samsung Research Center in Korea.
LBRC devotes substantial resources including personnel commitment and the expenses in equipment development, maintenance, and deployment for our SP projects. The SP projects must, therefore, be chosen with care. Our selection criteria for SPs include: (1) The proposed SP is a recently completed CP that still requires the use of the center's existing but unique technology. (2) Proposed SPs must utilize newly matured LBRC technologies that are still not widely available in other laboratories. (3) SPs must have biomedical relevance and be led by knowledgeable investigators. (4) Opportunity to build a stronger biophotonics community, including support for young investigators as well as researchers from an under-represented minority background. Approximately 75% the SPs are located within the state of Massachusetts (with 30% of SPs as collaborations within MIT). Approximately 90% of the SPs are carried out with investigators working in the USA while 10% of the collaborations are international. Approximately, 55% of the SPs are led by Ph.D. investigators while 45% are led by MD investigators reflecting the pre-clinical focus of the Center.
If you are interested in working with the center, please click here to fill out a request. The LBRC researchers will review the information and contact you within a week. Currently, we are engaged in a number of SPs spanning diverse topics including cancer, nerve transport, glucose sensing, and middle ear disease. In the following, we present only a select number of SPs: