BEGIN:VCALENDAR
VERSION:2.0
PRODID:-//Talks.cam//talks.cam.ac.uk//
X-WR-CALNAME:Talks.cam
BEGIN:VEVENT
SUMMARY:Designing brighter dyes for advanced fluorescence microscopy - Dr 
 Luke Lavis\, Janelia Research Campus\, Howard Hughes Medical Institute
DTSTART:20210323T140000Z
DTEND:20210323T150000Z
UID:TALK156154@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:David Madden
DESCRIPTION:Abstract: Specific labeling of biomolecules with bright\, phot
 ostable fluorophores is the keystone of fluorescence microscopy. An expand
 ing method to label cellular components utilizes genetically encoded self 
 labeling tags\, which enable the attachment of chemical fluorophores to sp
 ecific proteins inside living cells. This strategy combines the genetic sp
 ecificity of fluorescent proteins with the favorable photophysics of synth
 etic dyes. However\, intracellular labeling using these techniques require
 s small\, cell-permeable fluorophores\, thereby limiting utility to a smal
 l number of classic\, unoptimized dyes. We discovered a simple structural 
 modification to standard fluorophores that improves brightness and photost
 ability while preserving other spectral properties and cell permeability. 
 Inspired by computational experiments\, we replaced the N\,N-dimethylamino
  substituents in tetramethylrhodamine with a four-membered azetidine ring.
  This net addition of two carbon atoms doubles the quantum efficiency and 
 improves the photon yield in living cells. The novel substitution is gener
 alizable to fluorophores from different structural classes\, yielding a pa
 lette of synthetically tractable chemical dyes with improved quantum effic
 iency and enabling multicolor single-molecule imaging experiments. These b
 righter versions of classic fluorophores can be further modified to fine-t
 une spectral and chemical properties for advanced imaging experiments in i
 ncreasingly complex biological samples.\n\nBio: Luke D. Lavis was born and
  raised in the Applegate Valley area outside Jacksonville\, Oregon. He rec
 eived his B.S. in Chemistry at Oregon State University in 2000\, where he 
 performed undergraduate research in synthetic organic chemistry with James
  D. White. Uncertain about whether to pursue a research career or go to me
 dical school\, he took a four-year haitus and worked in the biotechnology 
 industry\, first at Molecular Probes in Eugene Oregon (now a part of Therm
 o Fisher) and later at Molecular Devices in Sunnyvale\, California. Luke t
 hen entered graduate school at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and w
 orked with Ronald T. Raines to develop strategies to trace the path of ant
 icancer proteins in living cells. He received his Ph.D. in Organic Chemist
 ry in 2008. Circumventing a traditional postdoc\, Dr. Lavis started his in
 dependent career as a Group Leader at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute
 ’s Janelia Research Campus. At Janelia\, Dr. Lavis works at the interfac
 e of chemistry and biology\, developing labels for single-molecule imaging
 \, strategies for targeted molecular delivery\, and probes to map cellular
  activity in intact brain tissue. Building on ancient fluorescent dyes\, h
 is lab develops strategies to synthesize\, target\, and modulate chemical 
 probes for experiments in complex cellular environments\, with a particula
 r focus on fluorescent and fluorogenic molecules. His efforts to modernize
  dye chemistry have resulted in the discovery of the “Janelia Fluor” d
 yes\, which are being used in labs around the world for sophisticated imag
 ing applications.\n
LOCATION:via zoom - please contact David Madden for the zoom link
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR