Seeing the invisible: discovering new ways of optical bio-imaging

 

Prof. Wei Min

 

Department of Chemistry, Columbia University

 

Time: May 5th, 10:30AM

Location: BIOPIC 208, Conference Room

 

ABSTRACT

 

Optical bio-imaging is one of the fastest growing fields at the interface of physical science and life science. Despite of many powerful imaging modalities, a number of significant challenges still exist. In particular, (1) How to perform label-free chemical imaging of small molecules, such as drugs and metabolites, with high sensitivity? (2) How to image those absorbing but non-fluorescent chromophores such as cytochrome and hemoglobin? (3) How to probe the local physicochemical environment of molecules for functional imaging? To address these challenges, we present our latest innovations on nonlinear optical imaging: (1) stimulated Raman scattering microscopy for vibrational imaging, (2) imaging chromophores with undetectable fluorescence by stimulated emission microscopy, and (3) dark state dynamics microscopy through fluorescence anomalous phase advance. We will present the principles and demonstrate applications of these new contrast mechanisms in biomedicine.