HUM-MOLGEN events: Quantitative Imaging: From Acquisition to Analysis

Combining careful image acquisition with rigorous computational analysis allows extraction of quantitative data from light microscopy images that is far more informative and reproducible than what can be seen by eye. This course will focus on advanced quantitative fluorescence microscopy techniques used for imaging a range of biological specimens, from tissues to cells to single molecules. The course is designed for quantitative cell and molecular biologists, biophysicists and bioengineers.

We provide a thorough treatment of the complete process of quantitative imaging, from the photons emitted from the sample to the extraction of biologically meaningful measurements from digital images. Material is covered in lectures, discussion groups and hands-on quantitative exercises using commercial microscopes and open-source image analysis tools.

Concepts Covered Include:

Widefield fluorescence microscopy
Laser scanning and spinning disk confocal microscopy
CCD, EM-CCD & sCMOS cameras
Total internal fluorescence microscopy (TIRF)
Light sheet microscopy
Super-resolution microscopy (structured illumination, STED & localization microscopy)
Imaging and analyzing ratiometric “biosensors” (including FRET)
Fluorescent proteins and live sample imaging
Image processing (filtering, de-noising, corrections, deconvolution)
Image segmentation
Quantitative shape and intensity measurements
Object detection and tracking
Machine learning
Designing and troubleshooting quantitative imaging experiments
...and more!

The course will also include a series of seminars from guest speakers who apply the methods we will discuss.