UNIVERSITY of TORONTO

Electrical and Computer Engineering

Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering

Photonics Group (ECE)

Levi group: Integrated Bio-sensors and Bio-imaging Systems

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering

Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering

	Welcome to the Levi group website at the University of Toronto Our web site has relocated to a new home at: biophotonics.utoronto.ca Our research interests include developing biomedical imaging systems and optical bio-sensors based on semiconductor devices and nano-structures, and their application to bio-medical diagnostics, in vivo imaging, and study of bio-molecular interactions. The goal of our work is to integrate sensor components into miniature functional bio-sensors and apply them to novel biology and bio-medical applications. As such, our research is interdisciplinary and include semiconductor device physics, optics, micro- and nano-fabrication, chemistry and applications in biomedical diagnostics, cancer studies and neurobiology. Contact For more information about the group and our research please feel free to contact Ofer Levi. Ofer Levi Assistant Professor The Edward S. Rogers Sr. Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and the Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering University of Toronto 164 College Street, Room 408 (Rosebrugh Building) Toronto, Ontario M5S 3G9 Tel: 416-946-5373 E-mail:
Monolithic integration of GaAs-based VCSEL laser and PIN photo-detector for high sensitivity miniature bio-sensing. (a) First-generation monolithically integrated laser and detector. (E. Thursh et al., IEEE JQE 40(5), pp. 491-498 (2004) (b) Second-generation sensor layout with two lasers per detector. Device area is 1 mm^2. Process refinement led to increased yield and improved VCSEL/detector optical isolation. (c) A 5 x 10 array of sensor devices shown in (b) with 1.4mm center-to-center spacing. (Image in (c) courtesy of Thomas D. O�sullivan, Stanford University).
Lab on a chip architecture where multiple sensing architectures and miniature sensors are employed to increase sensitivity and specificity in biomedical diagnostics.
CAD modeling of rat brain overlaid by an array of integrated optical sensors above the somato-sensory cortex for minimally invasive optical readout of neural activity. It is used as part of modeling light propagation in neural tissues.
High resolution MRI cross section, and organ segmentation for a mouse. Image courtesy of Dr. R. Mark Henkelman, MICe center, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto. See M. Allard et al., JBO, 12:034018, 2007
CAD modeling of segmented mouse internal organs, imported into ASAP (BRO Inc., AZ), optical modeling software, for evaluation of light propagation in tissue. The skin and fat layers were removed in this picture for organ visualization. Elizabeth Munro, MA.Sc. student
Schematic of implantable miniature fluorescent bio-sensor for chronic monitoring of tumors and cancer stem cells.