Imaging approaches to study cytoskeleton dynmics

The cytoskeleton provides an intracellular dynamic framework that determines cell shape and functionality as well as the morphogenesis of tissues and organisms. The advances in microscopy techniques and instrumentation offer the possibility to approach the study of cytoskeleton dynamics at different levels of complexity ranging from pure component mixtures in vitro to whole organisms in vivo. This symposium brings a team of top scientists working on these different levels to address the role and regulation of actin filaments and microtubules in cells and organisms.

There will be a previous course to provide an overview of advanced light microscopy techniques. The course is directed at researchers that want a more thorough understanding of the instruments used in biomedical imaging. After an initial review of microscope optics and the fundamental concepts of image formation, widefield microscopy, confocal microscopy, Total Internal Reflection Fluorescence (TIRF) Microscopy and techniques for molecular imaging will be covered.