Talk Title:

Development of a novel setup for cryo super-resolution fluorescence microscopy in the context of cryo-ET

Abstract:

Super-resolution methods present a true game changer for the field of correlative light and electron microscopy (CLEM). They allow bridging the big resolution gap between conventional fluorescence microscopy (FM) and electron microscopy (EM). However, super-resolution FM under cryo-conditions for correlation with cryo electron tomography (cryo-ET) is still at an early and experimental stage. To achieve the aim of using cryo-FM to localize and identify individual proteins in cryo-ET, the development of cryo-ET-compatible super-resolution cryo-FM is essential. In my talk, I will focus on how cryo single molecule photo-physics determines super-resolution cryo-FM, and why novel concepts regarding the design of super-resolution cryo-FM setups play an important role, not only for imaging, but also to gain a better understanding of the altered photo-physics under cryo-conditions.

Biography:

Rainer Kaufmann gained his PhD in Physics from the University of Heidelberg developing single molecule based super-resolution fluorescence microscopy. Afterwards he spent 6 years as a postdoc at the University of Oxford, with a focus on combining super-resolution fluorescence microscopy with electron microscopy. He is one of the pioneers in the field of cryo super-resolution fluorescence microscopy. Since 2017, he is a PI at the Centre for Structural Systems Biology (CSSB) in Hamburg and the Department of Physics at the University of Hamburg.

Prof. Rainer Kaufmann