Towards whole-body ultra-weak photon counting and imaging with a focus on human beings: A review

Wijk, Roeland Van; Wijk, Eduard P.A. Van; Wietmarschen, Herman van; Greef, J. van der

doi:10.1016/j.jphotobiol.2013.11.014

Cited by 41 publications

(41 citation statements)

References 46 publications

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“…The nature of ultraweak photon emission (UPE) in biological systems has been reviewed by several authors previously [13, [82][83][84][85][86]. The advent of new photon-counting technologies in the early 1960s provided the tools to demonstrate the existence of low-level luminescence in all living organisms, to be distinguished from the strong bioluminescence of, for example, various firefly and squid species.…”

Section: Potential For Using Ultraweak Photon Emissions In Diagnosismentioning

confidence: 99%

Oxidative species-induced excitonic transport in tubulin aromatic networks: Potential implications for neurodegenerative disease

Kurian

Obisesan

Craddock

2017

Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology B: Biology

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Oxidative stress is a pathological hallmark of neurodegenerative tauopathic disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease-related dementia, which are characterized by altered forms of the microtubule-associated protein (MAP) tau. MAP tau is a key protein in stabilizing the microtubule architecture that regulates neuron morphology and synaptic strength. When MAP tau is degraded in tauopathic disorders, neuron dysfunction results. The precise role of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the tauopathic disease process, however, is poorly understood. Classically, mitochondrial dysfunction has been viewed as the major source of oxidative stress and has been shown to precede tau and amyloid pathology in various dementias, but the exact mechanisms are not clear. It is known that the production of ROS by mitochondria can result in ultraweak photon emission (UPE) within cells. While of low intensity, surrounding proteins within the cytosol can still absorb these energetic photons via aromatic amino acids (e.g., tryptophan and tyrosine). One likely absorber of these photons is the microtubule cytoskeleton, as it forms a vast network spanning neurons, is highly colocalized with mitochondria, and shows a high density of aromatic amino acids. Functional microtubule networks may traffic this ROS-generated endogenous photon energy for cellular signaling, or they may serve as dissipaters/conduits of such energy to protect the cell from potentially harmful effects. Experimentally, after in vitro exposure to exogenous photons, microtubules have been shown to reorient and reorganize in a dose-dependent manner with the greatest effect being observed around 280 nm, in the tryptophan and tyrosine absorption range. In this paper, recent modeling efforts based on ambient temperature experiment are presented, showing that tubulin polymers can feasibly absorb and channel these photoexcitations via resonance energy transfer, on the order of dendritic length scales and neuronal fine structure. Since microtubule networks are compromised in tauopathic diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s dementias, patients with these illnesses would be unable to support effective channeling of these photons for signaling or dissipation. Consequent emission surplus due to increased UPE production or decreased ability to absorb and transfer may lead to increased cellular oxidative damage, thus hastening the neurodegenerative process.

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Section: Potential For Using Ultraweak Photon Emissions In Diagnosismentioning

confidence: 99%

Oxidative species-induced excitonic transport in tubulin aromatic networks: Potential implications for neurodegenerative disease

Kurian

Obisesan

Craddock

2017

Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology B: Biology

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“…Recent evidence suggests that recording metabolic shifts by measuring UPE-related metabolic processes in the human body can reflect the dynamics of metabolic organization (Bajpai et al, 2013; Van Wijk et al, 2014). Photobiological response (the result of chemical and/or physical changes induced by light in biological systems) and low-level biological luminescence (the production and emission of photons) are considered to be complementary manifestations of the photons' role in metabolism.…”

Section: Moving Toward a New Visionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The feasibility of recording UPE as a tool for measuring dynamic changes in human health and various physiological conditions has been reported (Bajpai et al, 2013; van Wijk, 2014; Van Wijk et al, 2014) and was reviewed recently (Ives et al, 2014). For example, a wide diversity of conditions are associated with changes in the UPE profile, including aging (Sauermann et al, 1999), diurnal biological rhythms (Cohen and Popp, 1997; Wijk E. P. and Wijk R. V, 2005; Cifra et al, 2007; Van Wijk et al, 2007; Kobayashi et al, 2009), and conscious activities (Van Wijk et al, 2005, 2006, 2008).…”

Section: Moving Toward a New Visionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Such equipment has been developed and validated and is now considered a rapid, relatively inexpensive, non-invasive technology for reliably measuring UPE (Van Wijk et al, 2014). …”

Section: Moving Toward a New Visionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A growing body of evidence suggests that UPE reflects the coherence of self-organizing systems and might therefore be used to measure health at a higher organizational level (Bajpai et al, 2013; de Mello Gallep, 2014; Van Wijk et al, 2014), providing a novel tool for reading the state of dynamic biological systems. UPE is intrinsic to every living system that undergoes respiration and utilizes oxygen; therefore, the dynamics of UPE reflect the biological processes that underlie this emission (Cifra and Pospíšil, 2014; Pospíšil et al, 2014; van Wijk, 2014).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Crossing the Boundaries of Our Current Healthcare System by Integrating Ultra-Weak Photon Emissions with Metabolomics

Burgos

Wijk

et al. 2016

Front. Physiol.

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The current healthcare system is hampered by a reductionist approach in which diagnostics and interventions focus on a specific target, resulting in medicines that center on generic, static phenomena while excluding inherent dynamic nature of biological processes, let alone psychosocial parameters. In this essay, we present some limitations of the current healthcare system and introduce the novel and potential approach of combining ultra-weak photon emission (UPE) with metabolomics technology in order to provide a dynamic readout of higher organizational systems. We argue that the combination of metabolomics and UPE can bring a new, broader, view of health state and can potentially help to shift healthcare toward more personalized approach that improves patient well-being.

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Therapeutic Applications of Biophotonics in Space

Souvestre¹,

Pederson²

2022

Handbook of Space Pharmaceuticals

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Towards whole-body ultra-weak photon counting and imaging with a focus on human beings: A review

Cited by 41 publications

References 46 publications

Oxidative species-induced excitonic transport in tubulin aromatic networks: Potential implications for neurodegenerative disease

Oxidative species-induced excitonic transport in tubulin aromatic networks: Potential implications for neurodegenerative disease

Crossing the Boundaries of Our Current Healthcare System by Integrating Ultra-Weak Photon Emissions with Metabolomics

Therapeutic Applications of Biophotonics in Space

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