Photonic biosignals: measurement and characterization

Sponsor: Czech Science Foundation

Principal onvestigator: Michal Cifra, Ph.D. 

Co-principal inversigator: Doc. RNDr. Pavel Pospíšil, Ph.D.

From: 2013-01-01

To: 2015-12-31

This project deals with measurement and characterization of photonic biosignals - ultra weak endogenous photon emission related to the metabolic activity of the biosystems. Highly application-specific and sensitive measurement system will be constructed for this purpose. System will be composed of cooled, ultra low noise single photon detectors for photon emission from biosamples, enabling spectral analysis and quantum-statistical correlation analysis. Advanced signal methods based on fractal and chaos theory will be identified and modified for characterization of the photonic biosignals. Mechanisms generating electron excitation in cellular biomolecular nanostructures with subsequent emission of photons in optical region will be identified using spectral analysis, electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy and chemiluminescence techniques. Parameters of the photonic biosignals will be correlated with the cell stress state and physiology in order to establish solid grounds for the development of novel noninvasive diagnostic method.

1. O. Kučera and M. Cifra: Cell-to-Cell Signaling Through Light: Just a Ghost of Chance? Cell Communication and Signaling, vol. 11, no. 87, 2013. doi: 10.1186/1478-811X-11-87
2. M. Cifra and J. Pospíšil: Ultra-weak photon emission from biological samples: Definition, mechanisms, properties, detection and applications. Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology B: Biology, 2014. doi: 10.1016/j.jphotobiol.2014.02.009