James G. Fujimoto, PhD
2026-05-14 12:00 - 13:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | BLI Library
Optical Coherence Tomography: History, Evolution and Future Prospects
Abstract
Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is an example of a biomedical technology that has been translated from research to clinical practice. OCT performs “optical biopsy”, visualizing pathology in situ and in real time without excision or processing. The development of OCT would not have been possible without a complex ecosystem involving physics, engineering, and clinical medicine; government funding of fundamental and clinical research; collaborative and competitive research in the academic sector; entrepreneurship and industry; and economic and societal impact. OCT has become a standard of care in ophthalmology with millions of imaging procedures every year. It can detect eye disease at early treatable stages before vision impairment occurs, monitor disease progression and assess treatment response. The development of OCT angiography (OCTA) enabled depth resolved visualization of microvasculature using motion contrast from flowing blood. Technologies such as high speed, swept source OCT (SS-OCT) can image at 1050 nm wavelengths with improved image penetration, enabling advanced OCTA protocols which can assess blood flow speed at the capillary level. Advances in high resolution spectral domain (SD-OCT) enable imaging of new biomarkers in the outer retina and RPE-Bruchs membrane complex. OCT has had a powerful impact on health and wellbeing while also reducing health care costs. Continued research and development by the international community has made major advances in performance and functionality, enabling exciting new applications in diverse areas. This presentation discusses the development of OCT, its translation to clinical practice and its future potential.
Biography
James Fujimoto is Elihu Thomson Professor of Electrical Engineering at MIT, visiting professor of ophthalmology at Tufts University School of Medicine, and adjunct professor at the Medical University of Vienna. His group and collaborators were responsible for the invention and development of OCT, performing some of the first studies in ophthalmology. Working with Carmen Puliafito and Eric Swanson, he cofounded the startup company Advanced Ophthalmic Devices, which developed ophthalmic OCT and was acquired by Carl Zeiss. He also cofounded, with Eric Swanson and Mark Brezinski, LightLab Imaging, which developed intravascular OCT and was acquired by Goodman, Ltd. and St. Jude Medical. Dr. Fujimoto received the Zeiss Research Award in 2011, Optical Society of America Ives Medal in 2015, Beckman-Argyros Award in Vision Research in 2017 and the Honda Prize in 2024. He was co-recipient of the Champalimaud Vision Prize in 2012, National Academy of Engineering Fritz J. and Dolores H. Russ Award in 2017, European Inventor Award in 2017, Lasker-DeBakey Clinical Medical Research Award in 2023 and National Medal of Technology and Innovation in 2023. Dr. Fujimoto has honorary doctorates from the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Poland and Friedrich Alexander University of Erlangen-Nuremberg and is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, National Academy of Sciences, and American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

REGISTER HERE FOR ZOOM

Click here to register for in-person attendance (lunch will be served)

STACY COPP, PH.D.
2026-05-21 12:00 - 13:00
Stacy Copp, UC Irvine Materials Science and Engineering

Title: Into the infrared: Programmable DNA-templated nanoclusters as designer probes for fluorescence imaging

Abstract: Fluorescent nanoclusters are emerging as promising new labels for biological imaging, but biocompatible nanoclusters that are well-suited for such applications remain limited. We are investigating DNA-stabilized silver nanoclusters as promising materials for biomedical imaging modalities. DNA-stabilized silver nanoclusters exhibit a diversity of photoluminescence properties that are uniquely tuned by DNA sequence. These nanoclusters hold particular promise as near-infrared (NIR) emitters for deep tissue imaging, but NIR emitters remain rare and DNA sequence space is immense, making it highly challenging to select the right DNA oligomers that produce desired nanocluster properties. We address this challenge using machine learning (ML) to connect DNA sequence to photoluminescence spectral properties. High-throughput experiments generate large training data libraries, and ML models trained on these models guide the selection of DNA sequences that template NIR-emitting nanoclusters. Moreover, the models can also be interpreted to gain new chemical insights into how DNA sequence controls nanocluster properties. Then, by preparing atomically precise solutions of DNA-stabilized silver nanoclusters, we investigate the structures and properties of these nanoclusters, including multi-photon excitation and chiroptical response. Our ongoing work is focused on functionalizing these nanoclusters for targeted molecular imaging and for integration into DNA nanotechnologies.
Bio: Stacy Copp is an Associate Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at the University of California, Irvine, with joint appointments in Chemistry, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, and Physics. She is also a Joint Appointee at Los Alamos National Laboratory. Copp received a B.S. in Physics and Mathematics from the University of Arizona (2011) and a PhD in Physics from UC Santa Barbara (2016). She held a Hoffman Distinguished Postdoctoral Fellowship and L’Oreal USA for Women in Science Fellowship at Los Alamos National Lab, before joining UC Irvine in 2019. At UC Irvine, she leads the Molecular Nanomaterials Lab, whose mission is to harness DNA and synthetic polymers as programmable building blocks for nanoscale materials. Copp has pioneered machine learning approaches to DNA nanomaterials design, including the discovery of DNA-templated silver nanoclusters with sequence-selected atomic sizes and fluorescence colors. Her research has been recognized by recent awards such as the AFOSR Young Investigator Award, DOE Early Career Research Program Award, DEVCOM ARL HBCU/MI Early Career Program Award, and NIH Director’s New Innovator Award. In her spare time, she enjoys running, hiking, and the extreme sport of parenting.
