UV4LIFE project: pushing Raman Spectroscopy into the UV for more precise medical detection

As part of its commitment to advancing photonics technologies, Oxxius is proud to contribute to the UV4LIFE collaborative R&D project. Together with leading academic and industrial partners, we are helping develop next-generation UV Raman tools to push the boundaries of medical diagnostics and analytical instrumentation.

Context

Medicine is increasingly seeking fast and minimally invasive diagnostic methods, particularly for infections, tumor-related diseases, and metabolic disorders. Raman spectroscopy, recently tested on these conditions, shows strong potential. Experiments conducted in INSERM laboratories indicate that excitation wavelengths in the visible range perform better than those in the near-infrared.
We propose to push the excitation wavelength further into the near-UV and evaluate potential improvements in the method’s selectivity and sensitivity. To enable this, dedicated optical components (UV lasers and Bragg gratings) will be developed, and the spectrometer will be adapted for UV operation.
The components and UV Raman spectrometer developed in this project also have many additional potential applications (2D materials for batteries, ink analysis, excitation of UV fluorophores for cytometry and microscopy, etc.).

Objectives

Today, Raman spectrometers have become more compact and stable thanks to the replacement of gas lasers with solid-state lasers (at 532 nm, 640 nm, and 785 nm). However, the fourth most commonly used wavelength (325 nm in the near-UV) is still provided by a Helium-Cadmium (HeCd) gas laser, 200 times larger and 20 times more energy-consuming than solid-state lasers. This limits laboratory use and makes future medical instrument integration impossible.

The first objective of this project is to develop solid-state lasers in the near-UV:

one at 320 nm as a direct replacement for HeCd lasers,
and another at 375 nm based on diode technology.

This will allow medical researchers to use these wavelengths in a Raman spectrometer, this is the second objective.
The third objective is to analyze cancer cells and bacteria using this new tool and derive detection and identification processes.

Funding

Oxxius’ participation in the UV4LIFE R&D project receives financial support from Région Bretagne, Lannion-Trégor Communauté and the European Union’s FEDER fund.

Project Partners

Institut Foton (SP/PLA Group – CNRS): responsible for spectral refinement of the 375 nm diode laser.
iXblue Photonics: developing and manufacturing the Bragg gratings required for the project.

CIMIAD Team (UMR 1241, Numécan Institute – Inserm): in charge of UV Raman analysis on various biological samples.
Oxxius: developing the single-frequency 320 nm laser, supporting the adaptation of the UV Raman spectrometer, and leading the overall project.