Editorial Introduction to JSTQE Special Issue on Biophotonics

The papers in this special section focus on biophotonics. This is an emerging and widely growing field of advanced biomedical technologies that has opened up new horizons for extensive transfer of state-of-the-art technologies coming from the areas of quantum electronics, lasers, fiber optics and electro-optics to the life sciences and medicine. This field continues to vastly expand with advanced developments across the entire spectrum of biomedical applications ranging from fundamental laboratory bench studies to clinical patient diagnostics, bioimaging, biosensing and therapeutics. Recently developed innovative biophotonics technologies have made a significant impact on biomedical research and public health, since they provide advanced minimally invasive, cost-effective and rapid techniques for diagnostics, monitoring and treatment of a variety of diseases.