Abstract
We introduce the feature issue on the Optics in the Life Sciences Congress held on April 2-5, 2017 in San Diego, CA. The Congress consisted of 5 topical symposia: (i) Bio-optics Design and Application; (ii) Novel Techniques in Microscopy; (iii) Optical Molecular Probes, Imaging and Drug Delivery; (iv) Optical Trapping Applications; and (v) Optics and the Brain. These separate symposia also held joint sessions of common interest. The following highlights some of the topics from the Congress.