Research summary
Biophotonics uses light to analyze or modify biological objects. As Canada Research Chair in Liquid Crystals and Behavioural Biophotonics, Dr. Tigran Galstian is pursuing a field of behavioural biophotonics that uses liquid crystals to understand the mechanisms of biological tissues and the behaviour of living organisms.
In particular, he and his research team are studying the molecular orientational order of tissue in molecular transport (such as in myelin-rich zones of the brain), the propagation of electrical excitations along membranes, and the mobility of bacteria. They are also developing smart sensing methods, such as adaptive imaging and fiber probing, for monitoring life. In addition, Galstian and his team are developing tools to improve drug delivery, dynamic phototherapy, and bacterial symbiosis in living systems.