CAT Collaborations with Non-Profit Entities

The CAT works collaboratively with non-profit entities to advance its scientific and economic development goals.

Two examples of this type of collaborations are:

• Compact Photonic Explorers
• Near Infrared Welding of Ocular Tissue

Compact Photonic Explorers
The City University of New York, in partnership with six other universities, has embarked upon an innovative, multidisciplinary research project to develop a variety of smart, compact, remote-controlled mobile photonic sensing devices. Called “Compact Photonic Explorers,” (CPE), these devices will have a range of diagnostic applications, including remote health monitoring, bacterial detection, cancer screening, chemical sensing and industrial and military surveillance. This project combines miniaturized techniques for emitting, detecting and filtering light, impacting diverse industries and disciplines by spinning off new microscale components and technologies. The initial focus is in the biomedical arena, where we are developing a “photonic pill” that would detect cancer and monitor body functions in living subjects. Future CPEs will detect biological and chemical hazards, such as bacteria and pollutants, and monitor the "health" of compact structures and devices.

This project is supported by a $1.34 million grant from the Infotonics Technology Center in Rochester, NY, and with over $300,000 in NYSTAR matching funds through the CAT. Researchers at CUNY are collaborating with teams at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, SUNY-Albany, SUNY-Binghamton, University of Rochester, Rochester Institute of Technology, Cornell University and Boston University to develop and test the technologies for a CPE prototype.

Near Infrared Welding of Ocular Tissue
The CAT is working with the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary (NYEEI) to investigate the use of near infrared lasers in welding of ocular (eye) tissue. CAT staff member Dr. Rabindra Halder is working with Dr. Howard Savage of NYEEI. Dr. Savage is responsible for obtaining the ocular tissue for experimentation and for providing medical expertise in determining the effectiveness of various techniques. Dr. Halder is responsible for conducting the experiments to weld the tissue using various lasers and to measure the effectiveness of the welding. Dr. Halder will use femtosecond, picosecond and cw Cr:YAG; Cr:Fosterite and Cr:CUNYite lasers in these measurements and a cw Er fiber lasers to weld ex-vivo porcine cornea. He and Dr. Savage will evaluate the weld quality by performing tensile strength measurements, electron microscopy and histopathology analysis on the welded tissue. They will investigate the optimal laser parameters for welding and minimalization of collateral damage. Funding for this project was provided by NYEEI.