Multicolor and multicontrast nonlinear microscopy of developing tissues

Emmanuel Beaurepaire (Ecole Polytechnique) — May 19, 2016

Modern issues in systems biology require tissue-scale measurements of multiple cell parameters. Multiphoton fluorescence microscopy has proven invaluable for tissue studies with its ability to provide subcellular resolution in thick/live samples. However in practice, current methods are still limited in terms of speed, depth, innocuity, and ability to simultaneously probe multiple parameters.

In this presentation we will first introduce the principles and stakes of this field at the interface between physics and biology. We will then discuss some ongoing developments aiming at addressing the issues mentioned above : efficient combination of fluorescence with harmonics contrasts [1,2], multicolor two-photon excitation [3,4], parallelization through light-sheet excitation [5-7], wavefront control. We will illustrate the benefit of these developments for applications in developmental biology (study of embryogenesis, brain development) and for biomedical applications (imaging of optically accessible tissues such as the eye and skin).

[1] Olivier, Science (2010). [2] Dray, Development (2015). [3] Mahou, Nat Methods (2012). [4] Loulier, Neuron (2014). [5] Truong, Nat Methods (2011). [6] Mahou, Nat Methods (2014). [7] Wolf, Nat Methods (2015).

Biography :
Emmanuel Beaurepaire is a specialist of optical microscopy of biological tissues. He works at the Laboratory for Optics and Biosciences (Ecole polytechnique - CNRS - Inserm) in Palaiseau, where he initiated the advanced microscopy group. The group works both on methodological developments for removing bottlenecks in nonlinear microscopy of live tissues, and on the development of novel applications fields such as imaging embryonic/nervous tissue development in animal models, and optical diagnostics.

You can also watch this video on the multimedia site ENS : savoirs.ens.fr