Brillouin microscopy for applications in mechanobiology and biomedicine

Brillouin microscopy is fast developing new field of research on the intersection of biological physics, optics, acoustics and mechanobiology. The technology is based on the physical phenomenon of inelastic Brillouin light scattering, where light changes its frequency after interaction with GHz pressure waves in the material. The change in the frequency of light, so-called Brillouin frequency shift, is linked to the mechanical properties of the material under test and hence can be used to infer the distribution of mechanical properties across the sample with microscopic resolution, no physical contact, and damage-free. These characteristics make Brillouin microscopy a desirable technique for studying the mechanobiology of cells and tissues and mapping micromechanical properties in situ. In this talk, I will focus mostly on biological and biomedical applications of Brillouin microscopy, from tissue engineering to understanding the mechanical manifestation of diseases such as cancer and respiratory diseases. I will also share my lab’s recent advances in developing fibre-integrated Brillouin probes that can extend the technology towards endoscopic applications.