Dr. José Manuel de la Rosa Vázquez, a pioneer of the Photonic Engineering program at IPN, is currently focused on developing instruments with laser diodes for specific medical applications and fostering future photonic engineers in Mexico
Rocío Castañeda
To provide concrete and accurate solutions in the health sector through Photonic Engineering, specialists from the Escuela Superior de Ingeniería Mecánica y Eléctrica (ESIME), Unidad Zacatenco, at the Instituto Politécnico Nacional (IPN), have developed various clinical technologies with significant social impact.
In this regard, the work of Professor and Researcher Dr. José Manuel de la Rosa Vázquez, from the Sección de Estudios de Posgrado e Investigación (SEPI) at ESIME Zacatenco, stands out. He is one of the driving forces behind the Photonic Engineering program at IPN, emphasizing the importance of this profession for the country's development, as it is the science of generating, modulating, and utilizing light with multiple social, environmental, and industrial applications.
In collaboration with researchers from the same academic unit, the specialist has developed several projects with support from the Consejo Nacional de Humanidades, Ciencias y Tecnologías (Conahcyt). The most recent is a machine to examine and diagnose biopsies embedded in paraffin directly, developed jointly with specialists from the Hospital General de México “Dr. Eduardo Liceaga,” yielding excellent results.
Traditionally, to diagnose biopsies, the tissue is cut and prepared into 5-micrometer slides for microscopic analysis, whereas the system conceived at Politécnico is faster and more accurate.
“Doctors present us with challenges, and we target everything with light. We are the first to report that diagnosis can be done directly in paraffin,” explained Dr. de la Rosa Vázquez, who holds a PhD in Optics from the Technical University of Berlin.
His research, Fluorescence spectroscopy on paraffin-preserved human liver samples to classify several grades of fibrosis, was published in the prestigious journal Spectrochimica Acta Part A: Molecular and Biomolecular Spectroscopy.
In addition to contributions from Karen Roa-Tort, Josué D. Rivera-Fernández, Suren Stolik, and Alma Valor from the Bio-photonics Laboratory at ESIME Zacatenco, Diego A. Fabila-Bustos from the Spectroscopy Laboratory at the Unidad Profesional Interdisciplinaria de Ingeniería Campus Hidalgo (UPIIH), and Galileo Escobedo from the Proteomics and Metabolomics Laboratory at the Hospital General de México “Dr. Eduardo Liceaga” also collaborated
The specialist, who is about to celebrate 60 years at Politécnico—having entered pre-vocational school in 1965, studied Communications and Electronics Engineering and completed a Master's in Electronic Instrumentation—holds around seven patents related to photonic technology, with others under review.
He also worked in Germany designing gas lasers and is currently focused on developing instruments with laser diodes for specific medical applications, always in collaboration with specialists to understand their requirements.
“With small laser chips, we work with students to develop the necessary electronics to create devices that use laser light for various studies, enabling them to pursue a career in photonics with the strengths these bring,” added De la Rosa Vázquez.
Photonics is the science of light, meaning the branch of physics that generates, controls, transports, guides, and detects light particles (photons)
Photonics is part of daily life, and we are not always aware of its importance. It is found in infrared thermometers, pulse oximeters, laser scalpels, vision correction lasers, barcode readers, LED lighting, and devices for measuring pollution, among many other applications.
Other prototypes developed by the Photonic and Bio-photonic Instrumentation group at ESIME Zacatenco include a filter fluorometer for detecting very low concentrations of PpIX using double-phase synchronous detection and a spectroscopic system for contaminant detection (which uses sunlight as a source and allows the detection of health-hazardous components like sulfur dioxide through DOAS spectroscopy).
They have also developed a Spatially Resolved Diffuse Reflectance Measurement System for determining the optical parameters of skin as an alternative to the Fitzpatrick scale, an optical characterization system for biological tissue, a reflection pulse oximeter, and a multispectral light source operated by a pedal and coupled with optical fiber for endoscopic procedures, among others.
With the mission of training highly qualified professionals in Photonic Engineering to drive scientific and technological advancement with a high social commitment, the faculty at ESIME Zacatenco promoted the establishment of this program.
This academic program began in 2020 at this institution, the only one offering such studies at IPN, and its first generation is about to graduate.
Dr. José Manuel de la Rosa, the current coordinator of the Photonic Engineering department, noted that photonics is a multidisciplinary area based on optics, and it is essential to know basic sciences like physics, mechanics, electricity, electronics, quantum physics, and computing for students to develop photonic instrument technology. This will enable the country to produce its equipment and specialists in their operation.
“Mexico has several research centers dedicated to this technology and is interested in attracting undergraduate students with the foundational knowledge to easily integrate into the research work being conducted,” emphasized the specialist, a member of the Sistema Nacional de Investigadoras e Investigadores (SNII) Level II.
“Our students have participated in national conferences and have caught the interest of specialists wanting to recruit them, even asking if they belong to any graduate programs,” he detailed.
He added that it is crucial to promote this knowledge because “we are surrounded by imported technologies; much equipment works with light and lasers; the most precise measurement techniques involve light, and there is a technological shift in the industry for which we must be prepared.”
Selección Gaceta Politécnica #175. (June 30th, 2024). IPN Imagen Institucional: Read the full magazine in Spanish here.
INSTITUTO POLITÉCNICO NACIONAL
D.R. Instituto Politécnico Nacional (IPN). Av. Luis Enrique Erro S/N, Unidad Profesional Adolfo López Mateos, Zacatenco, Alcaldía Gustavo A. Madero, C.P. 07738, Ciudad de México. Conmutador: 55 57 29 60 00 / 55 57 29 63 00.
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