LIGHT 4 LIFE workshop - INTERNATIONAL DAY OF LIGHT 2024

Session

Session 2. Advanced platforms and optical tools

S2

16 May 2024, 11:30

1/1-1 - Aula "A. Rostagni" (Dipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia - Edificio Marzolo)

7. Going beyond fluorescence: bringing label-free optical spectroscopy in deep brain regions using a single thin optical fiber

Dr Filippo Pisano (Department of Physics and Astronomy)

16/05/2024, 11:30

Optical approaches for in vivo neural monitoring using genetically-encoded fluorescent
molecular reporters offer a precious window on brain functions, and on the mechanisms of development, ageing or disease progression. Nonetheless, the existing methods are still shortsighted with respect to the complex biomolecular alterations that accompany these physiological and pathological dynamics. As...

11. Single-molecule force spectroscopy with optical tweezers

Dr Annamaria Zaltron (Department of Physics and Astronomy)

16/05/2024, 11:50

Optical Tweezers exploit light to manipulate objects at the micro- and nanoscale, demonstrating to be a powerful tool for investigating the biological world. Force spectroscopy measurements with optical tweezers allow the application of controlled mechanical stimuli and displacements on individual molecules of DNA, RNA and proteins, while monitoring the time evolution of the system as it...

12. Droplet microfluidic platform for extracellular vesicle isolation and handling

Dr Davide Ferraro (Department of Physics and Astronomy)

16/05/2024, 12:10

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are double-layered phospholipid vesicles having nanometric size that are rapidly gaining in popularity as biomarkers of various diseases, acting as cargoes of valuable information from the cell of origin [1]. Despite their value, their current use in clinical practice is still limited. Among the limiting factors, one of the most critical is their isolation. In...

13. The use of light to guide neuronal connection in vitro and in vivo

Prof. Cecilia Laterza (Department of Biomedical Sciences)

16/05/2024, 12:30

The brain is the most complex and delicate organ in our body. Brain damage typically results in devastating outcomes and consequences not only for the patient's health but also for their quality of life. These effects are caused by the irreversible loss of neurons, building blocks of the brain responsible of signal transmission. Neuronal loss therefore leads to an alteration in communication...

14. Detecting membrane contacts and associated Ca2+ signals by reversible chemogenetic reporters

Dr Riccardo Filadi (CNR - Institute of Neuroscience)

16/05/2024, 12:50

Membrane contact sites (MCSs) enable different intracellular organelles to coordinate their activities, yet the small size and the dynamic nature of these regions hinder their study by current imaging techniques. By designing a series of reversible chemogenetic reporters based on improved, low-affinity variants of splitFAST, we analysed the dynamics of different MCSs at high spatiotemporal...