Detecting disease, understanding cognition and preserving cultural heritage may appear to belong to entirely different worlds. Yet they all depend on one fundamental challenge: how can we see more without causing damage? This question has become the driving force behind OPTIMA – Optical and Photonic Technologies for Imaging in Materials and Advanced Biomedical Applications, a multidisciplinary research team led by Prof. Maciej Szkulmowski. Bringing together researchers from five faculties and six departments, the project aims to develop advanced optical imaging technologies that can be applied across seemingly unrelated scientific fields.
Rather than focusing on a single application, OPTIMA is built around the idea that one technological breakthrough can inspire many others. The project is organized into three research pillars—Human Body, Human Mind and Human Creations—but the proposal stresses that these areas are not intended to develop independently. Instead, they continuously exchange technologies, computational methods and data-analysis approaches, allowing solutions created in one field to accelerate progress in another.
One of the most striking examples is the project’s work on the human eye. Researchers describe the eye as a unique source of information about one’s health. By combining advanced optical imaging with data analysis, they aim to identify subtle changes associated with glaucoma, cardiovascular diseases and diabetes. The proposal also explores whether eye movements and retinal responses could provide non-invasive indicators of neurological and autoimmune disorders, including Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and Multiple Sclerosis.
The same technologies are also expected to improve the understanding of further biological processes. OPTIMA is working on new imaging methods capable of supporting early disease detection, assisting intraoperative cancer diagnostics and enabling high-resolution, label-free imaging of living cells, oocytes and embryos. The team also plans to develop multifunctional contrast agents based on up-conversion nanocrystals that could measure parameters such as temperature, pH, pressure and mechanical forces without damaging biological tissues.
The project then extends these optical technologies into an entirely different area: the study of the human mind. OPTIMA investigates cognitive functions and behavioral patterns – the researchers aim to develop accessible, non-invasive approaches for monitoring brain activity. The same framework could support research into conditions such as ADHD, autism and post-concussion syndrome.
Perhaps the most unexpected application lies within the project’s third pillar—Human Creations. Here, technologies developed for medicine are adapted to the study of artworks and archaeological objects. Optical coherence tomography, X-ray fluorescence and X-ray diffraction allow researchers to examine the internal structure of paintings and historical artefacts without taking physical samples. The proposal also describes automated imaging systems capable of mapping damage, identifying previous conservation interventions and revealing hidden layers, making advanced conservation methods more practical for museums and heritage institutions.
Ultimately, OPTIMA is not simply about applying light to different scientific questions. It is about demonstrating that when researchers from diverse disciplines work around shared technologies rather than traditional academic boundaries, discoveries made in one field can become solutions in another. In this way, a single optical innovation may ultimately improve healthcare, deepen the understanding of the human mind and help preserve cultural heritage for future generations.
