Application of an ultra fast single photon camera for spatial imaging of fast cellular events

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Recent advances in microscopy have enabled the activities of living cells to be studied with unprecedented detail. These advances include the development of fluorescent markers that can be used to label particular structures, chemical messengers and ion concentrations in cells, together with the development of techniques such as confocal microscopy that remove unwanted information such as out-of-focus blur from the microscope image. Many cellular processes result from the coordinated activity of a diverse array of molecules, such as ion channels in the cell membranes, the components of the cell's skeleton and molecules involved in secretion and membrane turnover. Many of these interactions occur very fast, in multiple locations in the cell and on time scales of milliseconds or less. Current microscopy techniques are generally not fast or sensitive enough to record them. Recent developments in camera and detector technology are producing a generation of ultra-fast and ultra-sensitive cameras that should provide much-needed solutions for imaging of very fast cellular events. This project will adapt such a camera for imaging of fast sub-cellular events in a model cellular system. The potential application of the technology to a wider range of microscopy applications will be assessed.