Lecture | Ultra-weak photon emission as a marker-free optical method for analysing water-derived biological material

Dr. Michal Cifra | Czech Academy of Sciences, Czech Republic

Monday May 18 at 10:30am
Location : GROWTHhub, Cork Road Campus, SETU

Tea/coffee from 10:30am.

Organised by Dr. Ondrej Kucera and supported by EU-CONEXUS mobility fund Call for Invitation of External Experts

About the lecture:

Biochemical systems not only transform matter, but they also emit light, albeit at levels far below ordinary visibility. In this lecture, Dr Cifra will show how this ultra-weak photon emission (UPE) arises from surprisingly general classes of oxidative biochemical reactions in which transiently excited molecular states are formed and occasionally relax by releasing photons. The resulting emission constitutes a direct, label-free optical signal linked to ongoing biochemical activity, yet it does not map in a simple way onto specific molecular pathways. Interpreting such signals, therefore, requires careful attention to their origin, the conditions under which they are measured, and the complexity of the underlying system. As such, ultra-weak photon emission is neither a curiosity nor a universal probe, but a distinct optical signature of oxidation-related biochemical dynamics, informative under well-defined conditions and limited beyond them.

Please note this is an in-person event only.