Arrangements for the 2013 annual Photonex London Roadshow are well under way to include a conference, photonics tutorials and an exhibition of 25 companies

Following on from the success of the inaugural event, Xmark Media is organising the second Photonics Technology Roadshow at University College London. Once more, visitors will be able to attend a free conference and visit an exhibition from 25 leading suppliers of photonics technologies.

Continuing the goal to visit a different London university each year, UCL is this year's host and is embracing the opportunity by becoming fully involved with the event planning to make it a success for all attendees.

The UK is particularly strong in 'biophotonics' with researchers are continually looking for better ways to analyse and affect complex processes. Photonics underpins many promising approaches for medical diagnosis, drug development, treatment & other clinical and life science applications. The main theme of the meeting looks at the "Advances in photonics tools and techniques for the life sciences." The technical programme committee under the stewardship of Dr Chris Dunsby, Imperial College London, has invited ten leading researchers, each expert in their particular field, to present their latest innovations and developments. The intention is to not only give a good grounding in a particular technique but to demonstrate how photonics and other disciplines collaborate to successfully tackle diverse and complicated issues.

Within the programme is a talk by Prof Dimitri Kullmann who is Professor of Neurology at the Institute of Neurology at UCL. He will be talking about Optogenetics, a subject recently picked up by the BBC. It is a new technique in the field of neuroscience which involves genetically engineering neurons to respond to light and then using lasers or light-emitting diodes to stimulate and control their firing.

The second strand of the conference is a programme of photonics tutorials entitled "Latest photonics techniques and instrumentation." This will be presented by scientists from UCL together with technical experts from the exhibiting companies. This programme will provide an introduction to scientists in research and industry considering using a particular technique for their work.

Commenting on last year's meetings, Dr Simon Schultz of Imperial College London said, "There was an excellent attendance throughout the day. The scientific programme generated great interest producing a really successful day all round with interesting speakers and visitors".

For information on the Photonex London Roadshow, visit www.photonex.org/london.

Advance registration is essential for the conference, forms should be completed on-line. There are no fees to attend. Sign up now for this free opportunity to broaden your knowledge in the world of photonics.