Guest Speaker: Dirk-Peter Herten, Institute of Physical Chemistry, Heidelberg University, Germany

Title: From single-molecules to quantitative microscopy

Fluorescent probes have long been used in a broad range of applications, e.g. as indicators in analytical chemistry, as labels in biochemistry or markers in microscopy. Over the last decades, they gained more importance in microscopy as their photo-physical properties were driving developments with improved sensitivity and resolution enabling different methods of single-molecule tracking as well as super-resolution microscopy. Over the past years, we developed fluorescent probes to observe single-molecule reaction transients. These findings enabled us to implement a new approach in super-resolution microscopy based on reversible reactions switching between a non-fluorescent off-state and a fluorescent on-state. Chemical control of spectroscopic states also enables completely new approaches in microscopy, like chemical multiplexing. However, the developments in optical microscopy have not yet come to an end as ultimately estimation of the absolute number of the protein copies along with an image of the cellular structure has come into reach. Working on the principles of photon-antibunching we are now able to quantify protein copies in cellular structures using confocal microscopy. Along this line we developed strategies for stoichiometric labelling and quantifying labelling efficiencies which are essential for reaching the ultimate goal of quantitative microscopy.

Location

IBR Seminar Room
Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences
College of Medical and Dental Sciences
University of Birmingham
Edgbaston
Birmingham
B15 2TT