SPIE 2009, Call for Papers

From: Michael R Hamblin Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Department of Dermatology
Harvard Medical School

Dear Colleagues

Next January 2010 in San Francisco we will have the fifth annual conference on “Mechanisms for low light therapy V”. We have had four successful conferences when SPIE Photonics West was in San Jose, and now we move to San Francisco that should further increase attendance

I am therefore pleased to be able to invite you to submit an abstract (Deadline 13 July 2009) and a conference proceedings paper (Deadline 16 Dec 2009) to “Mechanisms for low light therapy V” Conference BO108 Part of SPIE’s International Symposium on Biomedical Optics (BiOS) 23 – 28 January 2010 at the Moscone Convention Center, San Francisco, California, USA.

BO108 is expected to be held on Sat Jan 23

submit your abstract here
http://spie.org//app/program/index.cfm?fuseaction=conferencedetail&export_id=x13090&ID=x7777&redir=x7777.

We expect that this conference will continue to play a major role in increasing acceptance of Low-Light Therapy by the wider scientific community. The total attendance at SPIE is around 10,000 people. We expect high-quality scientifically sound presentations will  shed “light” on the fundamental physical and biological processes underlying this growing medical area.

I look forward to seeing you in San Francisco next year

best regards

Mike Hamblin

Text of the Short Call is below

Low levels of visible light (frequently red or near-infrared) can have significant therapeutic effects on multiple classes of diseases, injuries and medical disorders. In particular it is effective for wound healing and pain control as well as reduction of inflammation and swelling.

It is believed that the primary cellular chromophore that absorbs low levels of red and
near-infrared light is cytochrome c oxidase, which is located in mitochondria. This absorption of energy may lead to increase in ATP synthesis and release of reactive oxygen species from the electron transport chain that can subsequently activate transcription factors and lead to cell proliferation and migration.

Despite many reports of positive findings from experiments conducted in vitro, in animal models and in randomized controlled clinical trials, LLLT remains controversial. This likely is due to two main reasons; firstly the biochemical mechanisms underlying the positive effects are incompletely understood, and secondly the complexity of rationally choosing amongst a large number of illumination parameters such as wavelength, fluence, power density, pulse structure and treatment timing has led to the publication of a number of negative studies as
well as many positive ones.

This conference covers a field that is rapidly achieving a general level of acceptance in the medical and biomedical communities and will cover all of the important areas of LLLT research.

Contributed papers are solicited in the following areas (among others):

* development of light sources for LLLT (LED
photomodulation; pulsed IR light therapy
* study of LLLT dosimetry
* in vitro research in mammalian cells
* in vitro research in micro-organisms in culture
* simulation of wound healing and scar reduction in animal models
* nerve regeneration
* prevention of ischemia-induced tissue death and regeneration
* well-controlled clinical trials in the following areas:
* stimulation of wound healing such as non-healing ulcers
* pain reduction in post-surgical and neuralgia patients
* dental applications
* dermatology applications
* reduction of pain and inflammation in
arthritis and other orthopedic conditions
* macular degeneration prevention
* reduction of edema.

Conference Chairs: Michael R. Hamblin, Harvard Medical School; Ronald W. Waynant, U.S. Food and Drug  Administration; Juanita Anders, USUHS

Program Committee
James D. Carroll, THOR Photomedicine Ltd. (United Kingdom);
Luis H. De Taboada, PhotoThera, Inc. USA;
Mary Dyson, King’s College London (United Kingdom);
Tomas Lars Mikael Hode, Irradia USA
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Michael R Hamblin Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Department of Dermatology
Harvard Medical School
BAR 414
Wellman Center for Photomedicine
Massachusetts General Hospital
40 Blossom Street
Boston MA 02114
USA
Member of Affilated Faculty of Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and
Technology

Tel 617-726-6182
Fax 617-726-8566
e-mail hamblin@helix.mgh.harvard.edu
http://www2.massgeneral.org/wellman/people/mhamblin.asp

Assistant: Andrea Johnston
617-726-1588
AJOHNSTON2@PARTNERS.ORG