Abstract

Many of the discoveries and techniques of physical science have been successfully applied to investigate and quantify the complex systems found in the life sciences. Methods of laser spectroscopy and imaging offer the ability to noninvasively probe structure and function in biological systems, potentially providing useful diagnostic information for biomedical applications. For example, clinical instruments based on both fluorescence spectroscopy and imaging have been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use by physicians in detecting pre-malignancies in vivo during cancer screening procedures.

© 2002 Optical Society of America