Abstract
Total internal reflectance microscopy (TIRF) is a powerful and widely used optical imaging technique. It provides information about fluorescent objects within ~200 nm of the cover slip surface and is often used to study protein membrane dynamics. However when cells adhere to a surface the interaction can distort the very membrane dynamics that are being measured. In this project we will develop a system that can avoid such distortions by using novel fibre optic technology imaging for the upper membrane of cells. After development the microscope will be used to examine membrane protein turnover and dynamics on airway epithelial cells.
References
For an example of the pitfalls of TIRF for biological imaging see:
Ponjavic et al. (2018). Single-Molecule Light-Sheet Imaging of Suspended T Cells. Biophys J. 2018 May 8;114(9):2200-2211.