# MIT Laser Biomedical Research Center

> **NIH NIH P41** · MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY · 2020 · $1,007,242

## Abstract

MIT Laser Biomedical Research Center (LBRC) provides state-of-the-art integrative photonic solutions for the
biomedical community. The LBRC core facilities sit within the G.R. Harrison Spectroscopy Laboratory, which has
a century-long history of innovation and provides a dynamic environment for cutting-edge technology
development. Continually rejuvenated by this setting, the LBRC develops and disseminates photonic solutions
that address complex problems in biological research, pharmaceutical development, and medical diagnosis. The
LBRC has served the nation's biological and medical community as a NIH research resource for almost 30 years,
and during this time, the LBRC has enabled a diverse range of research, both fundamental science and practical
applications, serving investigators from cancer biology, cardiology, infectious disease, hematology, stem cell
biology, and neurobiology. We successfully developed a technology research and development (TRD) program
to advance biomedical imaging and diagnostic technologies using on fluorescent, interferometric, and vibronic
spectroscopies. We have a proven track-record of building fruitful partnerships, with over sixty of our
collaborative projects (CPs) and service projects (SPs) achieving research milestones in the past 4 years.
Quantitatively, during this period, we have published over 100 peer reviewed papers with many in high impact
journals, filed 8 patent disclosures, started three companies, trained 15 center staffed who left LBRC with good
careers, trained over 50 staff in our collaborators' laboratories, and disseminated technologies through
organizing over 50 seminars distributing their content online. In the next cycle, LBRC leadership team has
formulated an innovative and ambitious plan to substantially enhance our expertise base by expanding from
three to seven senior investigators including: Dr. Peter So (Director) is an expert in nonlinear spectroscopy &
microscopy, Dr. Ramachandra Dasari (Associate Director), an expert in Raman spectroscopy, Dr. Moungi
Bawendi (Associated Director), an expert in quantum dot bioimaging, Dr. Gabriela Schlau-Cohen, an expert in
single molecule biophysics and ultrafast spectroscopy. Dr. Ishan Barman, an expert in surface enhanced Raman
spectroscopy, Dr. Conor Evans, an expert in nonlinear Raman spectroscopy, and Dr. Zahid Yaqoob, an expert
in interferometric technology. We plan to go forward into the next cycle with four TRDs: (1) fluorescence
spectroscopy and microscopy techniques, (2) interferometric spectroscopy and microscopy techniques, (3)
Raman spectroscopy and microscopy techniques, and (4) Next-generation nanoprobe toolkit for biomedical
applications. While NIH BTRCs cover a broad range of technologies, there is unmet demand for development of
optical contrast agents and nanoscale probes. Establishing the new TRD4 on nanoprobes addresses this need
and enables tight integration with unique spectroscopic detection methods developed in TRD1, 2, & 3. I...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9985825
- **Project number:** 5P41EB015871-34
- **Recipient organization:** MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
- **Principal Investigator:** Peter T. So
- **Activity code:** P41 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $1,007,242
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 1997-06-01 → 2022-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9985825

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9985825, MIT Laser Biomedical Research Center (5P41EB015871-34). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9985825. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*