Fluorescence is a very powerful tool for work at the frontier of cell biology, photobiology and bioinstrumentation. The stated aim of the workshop was to highlight the significance of fluorescence work for the understanding of cell and tissue physiology, physiopathology and pharmacology, particulary in terms of the analytical use of fluorescent probes in oncology. In the organization of the workshop a multidisciplinary approach was selected. The purpose of the Advanced Research Workshop (ARW) was to bring together researchers in the various disciplines of tissue optics, imaging, microspectrofluorometry and state of the art probes, in order to explore the full benefits that can be derived in biomedicine through the convergence of these approaches. When applied to in vivo and in situ studies, fluorescence and related optical methods enable us to explore within tissues, cells and organelles photon effects previously understood only in solution photochemistry. Processes which can be studied at the molecular level by photophysics, photochemistry and physical chemistry can be evaluated in living tissue by fluorescence spectroscopy and imaging at the intracellular level in terms of structure and function. Thus, fluorescence adds a new dimension to cell biology and physiology. This approach is now supported by a full and versatile, rapidly growing armamentarium of new selective probes for organelles, enzymes, cations, cytoskeleton and metabolic control.

1. Overview: Workshop on Analytical Use of Fluorescent Probes.- 2. Detection of Breast Tumors by Absorption and Fluorescence of Photon Diffusive Waves.- 3. Fluorescence-Lifetime Based Sensing in Tissues and Other Random Media with Measurements of Photon Migration.- 4. Spectroscopy and Tomography of Tissues in the Frequency-Domain.- 5. Fret Microscopy in Cellular Signal Transduction.- 6. Photoacoustic Spectroscopy Applied to Biological Materials.- 7. Recent Developments in Fluorescence Spectroscopy: Long-Lived Metal-Ligand Probes, Multi-Photon Excitation, and Control of the Excited State.- 8. Photonic Pathology: Fluorescence and Raman Spectroscopy for Tissue Diagnosis and Characterization.- 9. In Vivo Application PD-Porphine for Measurement of Oxygen Concentrations in the Gut.- 10. Laser Scanning Confocal Fluorescence Microscopy of Cell Function.- 11. Sub-Cellular Localization of Second Generation PDT Photosensitizers Studied by Microspectrofluorometry.- 12. Photofrin Uptake as a Function of Tumor Size and the Detection of Microscopic Nests of Tumor Cells by Photofrin Fluorescence: Mechanistic Implications for PDT.- 13. The Detection of Apoptotic Cells and Their Quantification by Flow Cytometry.- 14. Adhesion Stabilization of Blood Borne Cancer Cells in the Microcirculation.- 15. Probing of Connexin Channels: Evidence for Involvement of Junctional Coupling in Pancreatic Secretion.- 16. The Analysis of Drug-Induced Cell Cycle Perturbations by Flow Cytometry.- 17. The Effects of Tumor Heterogeneity on the Flow Cytometric Analysis of Clinical Specimens.- 18. Videomicrofluorometry of Progesterone Receptors and Their Genes in Breast Cancer Cells.- 19. Immunophotodetection of Cancer by Antibody-Indocyanin Conjugates: Experimental and Preliminary Clinical Results.- 20. Three-Dimensional Optical Functional Imaging of Tissue with Two-Photon Excitation Laser Scanning Microscopy.- 21. Estrogen Receptor Imaging Using Intrinsically Fluorescent Ligands.- 22. Videomicrofluorometry and Intracellular Ionic Concentration in Single Living Cells: From Toy to Tool.- 23. Multiwavelength Microfluorometry to Investigate Cytotoxic Processes on Sensitive and Resistant Human Lymphoblastoid CCRF-Cem Lines.- 24. Laser-Induced Auto Fluorescence of Normal and Tumor Bladder Cells and Tissues: In Vitro and in Vivo Studies.- 25. Fluorescent Imaging of Membrane Potential Components.- 26. Probing of Microtubule Structures with Monoclonal Antibodies and Immunofluorescence Microscopy.- 27. Immunofluorescence Detection of Cytoskeletal Structures.- 28. Cell Expression System in V79 Cells Transfected with Cytochrome P450 and Its Performance in Metabolism Studies.- 29. Direct Transfer of Control and Multidrug Resistance.- 30. Instrumentation Design for Study of Metabolie Control in Living Cells.- 31. Use of Fluorescent Derivatives for Labeling Cells; Diagnosing, Preventing, and Correcting Genetic Diseases; Photosynthesizing and Killing of Tumors, Parasites, and Viruses.- 32. Ca2+ Signaling and Cytoskeleton Reorganization in Endothelial Cells Stimulated by Bradykinin.- 33. Integration of Optical Techniques in Scanning Probe Microscopes: The Scanning Near-Field Optical Microscope (SNOM).- 34. Perfusion, Temperature, and PO2 Control in a Leiden Culture Bath for Single Cell Measurements and Manipulations.- 35. Immunofluorescence Study of Intermediate Filament Protein Expression under Normal and Pathological Conditions.- 36. The Use of Fluorescent Probes in Characterizing Drug Resistance in Cultured Cells.- 37. A High Resolution Multimode Digital Imaging System for Fluorescence Studies of Mitosis.- 38. Use of Photodiode Array Fluorescence Spectroscopy in Biochemistry, Pharmacology, and Oncology.- 39. Hydrophobic Photosensitizers Delivery to Tumor Tissues by an Amphiphilic Peptide: In Vitro and in Vivo Fluorimetric Studies.- 40. Merocyanine 540-A Fluorescent Dye and a Biological Probe.- 41. High Pressure Infrared Spectroscopy in Biological and Biomedical Studies.- 42. Fluorescence Spectroscopy for Diagnosis of Cancerous Tissues.- 43. Solvent-Dependent Excited State Properties of Psoralens: A Model to Their Antiproliferative Action.- 44. Fluorescent Probes in Breast Tumor.- 45. Use of Fluorescence in Situ Hybridization for Mapping and Ordering YAC Clones from Chromosomal Regions with Suspected Tumor-Suppressor Activity.- 46. Photochemical and Photophysical Studies of an Anthocyanin: Fast Excited-State Proton Transfer from 4-Methyl 7-Hydroxyflavylium Chloride to Water.- 47. Selectivity and Localization of Anthracyclines in Cardiac-Muscle and Non-Muscle Cells Relevance to Multidrug Resistance.