BioLight Seminar – Photon-Resolved Microscopy: Laser-Scanning Microscopy with SPAD array detector.
Speaker: Dr Giuseppe Vicidomini, Italian Institute of Technology, Genoa, Italy
The Seminar will be on Wednesday 4th June, 12.00 pm, BMS Lecture Theatre
Host: Dr. Paolo Annibale
Fluorescence microscopy is a powerful tool for studying biological structures and functions within living systems with minimal invasiveness. However, its ability to resolve many fundamental biological processes remains limited. To tackle these challenges, our group has introduced a novel class of single-photon detector arrays—the asynchronous read-out single-photon avalanche diode (SPAD) array detector—which offers a new approach to pushing the boundaries of fluorescence microscopy. This detector enables a new imaging paradigm, photon-resolved microscopy, where fluorescence photons are recorded individually and assigned multiple spatiotemporal signatures that conventional detectors cannot capture.
We first demonstrate how photon-resolved microscopy enhances confocal laser-scanning microscopy, one of the most widely used fluorescence imaging techniques. We then explore its synergies with advanced methods, including super-resolution microscopy, single-molecule techniques, and spectroscopy, further expanding the capabilities of fluorescence microscopy assays.
This paradigm opens exciting new avenues for studying complex biological processes with unprecedented detail.