IAS Distinguished Lecture - Lighting Up Chemical Bonds for Biomedicine

Abstract

Innovations in imaging have revolutionized life science and medicine. Among various imaging modalities, vibrational imaging has emerged as a major technology, by visualizing the fundamental chemical bonds inside living cells and tissues with high sensitivity, speed, specificity and resolution. In this lecture, the speaker will first introduce recent advances in theoretical understanding and technical innovations of vibrational imaging. In particular, the speaker will discuss stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) microscopy, which can amplify the otherwise feeble Raman scattering signal by up to 100 million times. He will highlight new research areas and applications in biomedicine and environmental science, including (1) single-molecule chemical spectroscopy, (2) single-particle nanomedicine and nanoplastics, (3) super-resolution chemical nanoscopy, (4) super-multiplexed imaging for brain mapping, and (5) vibrational spatial omics.


About the Speaker

Prof. MIN Wei received his B.S. from Peking University in 2003 and Ph.D. from Harvard University in 2008 studying single-molecule biophysics with Prof. Sunney XIE. After continuing his postdoctoral work in Prof. Xie's group, he joined the faculty at Columbia University in 2010, and was promoted to Full Professor there in 2017. He is also affiliated with the the Kavli Institute for Brain Science. Prof. Min's contribution has been recognized by a number of honors, including Biophotonics Technology Innovator Award from The International Society for Optical Engineering (SPIE) in 2023, Raman Award for the Most Innovative Technological Development (2022), Craver Award of Vibrational Spectroscopy (2022), Scientific Achievement Award from Royal Microscopical Society (2021), Pittsburgh Conference Achievement Award (2019), Analyst Emerging Investigator Lectureship (2018), Coblentz Award of Molecular Spectroscopy (2017), the ACS Early Career Award in Experimental Physical Chemistry (2017), Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award (2015), Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowship (2013), and NIH Director's New Innovator Award (2012). 


For Attendees' Attention

Seating is on a first come, first served basis.