The SPIE BiOS Translational Research Symposium at Photonics West was launched in 2014 ( http://spie.org/conferences-and-exhibitions/photonics-west/translational-research) to feature innovative biophotonics and biomedical optics technologies and emphasize the unique challenges associated with moving research findings along the translation pipeline from fundamental science, to proof of concept, to development, and finally transfer to market and patient care.

This collection of papers in the Journal of Biomedical Optics is the first of a series that is intended to complement the Translational Research Symposium by providing archival peer-reviewed manuscripts that illustrate clinically relevant technologies and best practices that will accelerate the pace of translation to industry and clinical use, with the ultimate goal of providing better and affordable patient care.

This collection of papers comprises 12 original articles and 1 special commentary, which were published in the Journal of Biomedical Optics Volume 21, Issues 6–12:

These original manuscripts highlight diverse, ongoing, and promising research efforts and applications with a special focus on novel methods and devices that are aimed to prevent, diagnose, or treat a wide range of cancers (brain, breast, esophagus, pancreas, colon, skin) with minimal or no associated morbidity. They report exciting results in areas such as detecting invasive brain cancer cells by coupling artificial neural networks with Raman spectroscopy (Jermyn et al.), distinguishing between malignant and benign lesions in breast cancer by using diffuse optical spectroscopic imaging (Leproux et al.), screening for Barrett’s esophagus by using optical coherence tomography in primary care practice (Gora et al.), or performing laser speckle–based point-of-care measurements of blood flow (Farraro et al.). The authors address key aspects involved in navigating the translational pipeline, such as identifying clinical problems and unmet clinical needs, describing barriers to clinical translation, disseminating and adopting new technologies, and developing sound measures to assess efficacy.

The commentary paper (Tromberg et al.) identifies common essential features for successful translation by examining the origins and critical paths of three major international academic affiliated centers, founded mid-late 1970s.

The objective of both the symposium and this series is to enable a new generation of biomedical scientists to pursue translational research careers, to encourage the emergence and growth of successful translation-oriented initiatives that will not only sustain, but also further increase the impact of biophotonics and biomedical optics on human health.

The guest editors would like to thank all authors for their excellent contributions as well as the reviewers from all over the world for their high-quality work and commitment to making this special series a success. The guest editors would also like to express their gratitude to Lihong Wang, editor-in-chief of JBO, for giving our community this unique opportunity; Gwen Weerts, managing editor for SPIE journals for her continuous support and attention; and the JBO staff who helped complete this series every step of the way.