Researchers

Professor Alexander Cartwright, Ph.D.

As a Director of the Institute for Lasers, Photonics and Biophotonics (ILPB), Dr. Cartwright is responsible for the development of multidisciplinary research initiatives focused on photonics applications. For example, Prof. Cartwright is the director of the National Science Foundation sponsored Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship (IGERT) focused on Biophotonics Materials and Applications. 

In addition to his activities in the ILPB, Dr. Cartwright's laboratory has focused its research on the development, fabrication and characterization of nanostructured III-Nitrides materials and devices, spintronic GaSb based devices, organic LEDs, and most recently, hybrid inorganic/organic flexible solar cell devices. Applications vary for the different material systems and fabricated devices but include biological and chemical sensors, solid-state lighting, photovoltaics, optical imaging and optical microfabrication.  Prof. Cartwright's primary expertise is in the optical (CW and ultrafast) characterization of semiconductor materials and devices consisting of homo- and hetero-structures of III-V materials, such as GaAs/InGaAs/AlGaAs and GaN/AlGaN/InGaN, and II-VI materials such and ZnO. These studies provide essential information of carrier transport and recombination dynamics pertinent to device operation.  Finally, Dr. Cartwright's research group is active in the development of novel optical techniques in biosensing and non-destructive stress and strain analysis.

Edward P. Furlani, Ph.D.

Researchers at the ILPB are engaged in variety of projects involving applications of multifunctional magnetic micro and nanoparticles with an emphasis on magnetic drug targeting, and the development of novel microsystems for bioapplications. This research includes:

• The synthesis and characterization of custom-tailored nanoparticles with magnetic, photonic, and biologic functionality for applications such as bioseparation, magetocytolosis, MRI, and magnetically targeted drug-, gene-, and photodynamic therapy. 
• Multiscale modeling of magnetic nanoparticle transport at the micro and nanoscale. 
• Interdisciplinary modeling and simulation of magnetic/microfluidic systems for bioapplications.
• Optical tracking of nanoparticle uptake at the cellular level.

Some specific ILPB projects include the development of mathematical models to study magnetic nanoparticle transport and capture in the vascular system (drug targeting), a July 3, 2008 ms for continuous blood cell sorting.

http://physicsweb.org/articles/news/10/12/7/1

Publications of Edward P. Furlani, Ph.D.

"Nanoscale Magnetic Biotransport with Application to Magnetofection," E. P. Furlani and K. C. Ng, Phys. Rev. E 77 Art. No. 061914, 2008

"Modeling Magnetic Transport of Nanoparticles with Application to Magnetofection", E. P. Furlani and K. C. Ng, Proc. NSTI Nanotechnology Conf. Vol. 3, pp 304-307 2008.

"A Model for Blood Cell Transport and Separation in a Magnetophoretic Microsystem", E. P. Furlani, Proc. NSTI Nanotechnology Conference, May 2007.

"A Microsystem and Model for Continuous Immunomagnetic Cell Sorting", E. P. Furlani, Proc. NSTI Nanotechnology Conference, May 2007.

"A Model for Predicting Magnetic Particle Capture in a Microfluidic Bioseparator," E. P. Furlani, Y. Sahoo , K. C. Ng, J. C. Wortman and T. E. Monk, Biomedical Microdevices, 1387-2176, May 2007.

"Magnetophoretic Separation of Blood Cells at the Microscale," E. P. Furlani, J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys., 40 1313-1319, 2007.

"A Model for Predicting Magnetic Targeting of Multifunctional Particles in the Microvasculature," E. J. Furlani and E. P. Furlani, J. Magn. Magn. Mat. 312 Issue 1 187-193, 2007.

"Analytical Model of Magnetic Nanoparticle Transport and Capture in the Microvasculature," E. P. Furlani and K. C. Ng, Phys. Rev. E 73 (6): Art. No. 061919 Part 1 Jun. 2006.

"Analytical Model for the Magnetic Field and Force in a Magnetophoretic Microsystem," E. P. Furlani and Y. Sahoo, J. Phys. D - Appl. Phys. (9): 1724-1732 May 7 2006.

"Analysis of Particle Transport in a Magnetophoretic Microsystem," E. P. Furlani J. Appl. Phys. 99 (2): Art. No. 024912 Jan. 15 2006.

 

Guang S. He, Ph.D.

Multi-photon related fundamental studies and applications:

• Multi-photon pumped frequency-upconversion lasing
• Multi-photon absorption based optical power limiting and stabilization
• Multi-photon excitation enhanced stimulated Rayleigh-Bragg scattering
• Novel nonlinear multi-photon spectroscopy using intense continuum generation
• Dynamic studies of ultrafast multi-photon excitation processes

Novel nonlinear optical effects studies

• Optical phase-conjugation with backward stimulated emission from lasing media
• Stimulated Kerr scattering from liquid Kerr media
• Multi-photon resonance-enhanced refractive-index change and self-focusing
• Multi-photon enhanced spatial soliton formed by third-order harmonic generation

Novel photonics devices

• Dye-doped polymer core or coating based fiber lasers and amplifiers
• Liquid core filled fiber lasers
• Multi-photon active core filled optical fiber power limiter and stabilizer
• Leaking waveguide laser devices

 

Tymish Y. Ohulchanskyy, Ph.D.

Some of the projects being performed by the ILPB. All studies involves optical absorption spectroscopy, luminescence steady-state and time-resolved spectroscopy in different temperature and spectral ranges, confocal and two-photon laser scanning microscopy, fluorescence microscopy.

• Investigation of photophysical and photochemical properties of newly designed drugs for photodynamic therapy (PDT), developing agents for tumor imaging and guided therapy.

This project is being performed in collaboration with scientists from Roswell Park Cancer Institute (Dr. Pandey’s group), providing design and synthesis of drugs. The main aim of study is to get more efficient PDT drugs as well as agents for tumor imaging. The estimation of the efficiency of the investigated compounds as PDT drugs is done through study of photo and dark toxicity of cells in vitro and determination of a generation efficiency of singlet oxygen as main toxic agent.

• Development of new dye-nanoparticle systems for cell imaging and PDT.

Different modifications of silica, polymer, magnetic nanoparticles are tried to do fluorescent and specific for certain organelles in cells. Possible applications: PDT, imaging of cells and tissues, chemotherapy. This project involved design and preparation of nanoparticles, study of their photophysical properties in vitro, cellular uptake and imaging.

• DNA delivery into cells with nanoparticles.

Project targets using silica nanoparticles for DNA delivery into cells for possible application in gene therapy. It involves design of the fluorescence labeled nanoparticles and study of their application as non-viral factor for DNA delivery. This project is being performed in cooperation with the colleagues from UB School of Medicine (Dr. Stachowiak’s Group)

• Design of the nucleic acids specific fluorophores for nucleic acids detection and their imaging in live cells by two-photon and confocal laser scanning microscopy.

Study of the interaction of the fluorescent labels with nucleic acids involves determination of the probe photophysical properties, mode and efficiency of binding of a probe with nucleic acids in vitro . Project also involves imaging of the nucleic acids with studied tags in live cells . This project is being performed in collaboration with chemists from the Institute of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Kyiv, Ukraine (Dr. Yarmoluk’s research group).

 

James M. O’Reilly, Ph.D.

Dr. O’Reilly is interested in applications of polymers in photonics. His areas of current interest include:

• organic-inorganic hybrids for optical elements using silica, titania, and telluria for high refractive index and non-linearity and
• polymers for two-photon lithography to make optical circuits and photonic band gap structures.

 

Haridas E. Pudavar, Ph.D.

Areas of Interest:

• Bio-Imaging

• Use of Conofocal/Multiphoton imaging techniques for studying cancer therapy drug delivery mechanisms, drug metabolism and protein-protein interactions. Various fluorescence imaging techniques such as Fluorescence Lifetime imaging (FLIM), Fluorescence Resonance Energy transfer (FRET), Fluorescence rcoveryafter photobleaching (FRAP) etc. are used for this study.

• Characterization of fluorescnt Nanoparticle for drug delivery schemes and Bioimaging

• Optical spectroscopic and imaging tools are used for studying various nanoparticles, including quantum dots, for bioimaging and drug delivery.

• Optical Spectroscopy

• Linear and Non-linear optical spectroscopy tools are used to study multiphoton processes and their applications .

 

Indrajit Roy, Ph.D.

Applications of Nanoparticles for  Biomedical Diagnostics and Therapy :

Ongoing Projects

1. Photodynamic Therapy
2. Gene Therapy
3. Early Detection of Pancreatic Cancer

Yudhisthira Sahoo, Ph.D.

My research interests at ILPB are the following. I work with a team of faculty members and students within the instute as well as outside the department. My research interests are:

1. Fabrication of Magnetic Particles and their properties.

2. Semiconductor quantum dots: with particular focus on diluted magnetic semiconductors, IV-VI semiconductors for photodetection and photovoltaics.

3. Plasmonics of gold and silver nanoshells.

4. Surface chemistry and photonic properties of silicon nanoparticles

Some Examples are:

(a) Gold nanoparticles have been attached to the dielectric core polystyrene by using a bifunctional linker molecule (Fig.1). Progressive coverage provides a manipulation of the plasmonic resonance position in the electromagnetic spectrum, where it is shown that the position shifts from the characteristic 520 nm to longer wavelength up to the near infra red. By obtaining the same geometry with silver nanoparticles, we get even a broader range of shifts.

Fig. 1

(b) A method has been developed for the preparation of a biocompatible ferrofluid containing dye-functionalized magnetite nanoparticles that can serve as fluorescent markers. This method entails the surface functionalization of magnetite nanoparticles using citric acid to produce a stable aqueous dispersion, and the subsequent binding of fluorescent dyes to the surface of the particles.

Here is presented a fluoresecence pattern magnetically aligned and visualized in confocal microscope.

(c) We have developed a process to colloidally fabricate successive batches of rod-shaped and “branched” structures of CdSe and PbSe by seeded growth using nanoparticles of noble metals. These nanostructures have the potential for enhancing photovoltaic effects. Different shapes of PbSe nanocrystals are shown in the Figure.

(d) Colloidally synthesized monosized PbSe quantum dots show size tunable absorbance. The batch of quantum dots have shown the highest ever reported photoconductivity, when measured as a nanocomposite. They are photoactive at the infrared wavelengths, important for telecommunications.