Changes in membrane architecture happens very fast. The synaptic delay between stimulus and postsynaptic response takes for example, only 1 millisecond. To understand neuronal functions, there is a need for a method that covers high resolution and high-speed measuring. In a webinar on June 17, Prof. Erik Jorgensen, Professor in the Department of Biology at the University of Utah, and Shigeki Watanabe, a post-doctoral fellow in Jorgensen’s laboratory, will present their ‘flash-and-freeze’ fixation method for observation of neuronal functions. By using transgenetic Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) animals, a simple flash of light and the high pressure freezer for cryofixation of biological and industrial samples Leica EM HPM100, Prof. Jorgensen developed this method to capture dynamic changes in synaptic morphology during neurotransmission, like regulated vesicle fusion. It’s a new way to visualize neuronal functions that normally can’t be visualized.
This webinar offers an amazing opportunity to learn more about neuroscience, optogenetics and sample preparation. If you would like to participate, register on http://www.microscopy-analysis.com/leicawebinars.
To learn more about the ‘flash-and-freeze’ fixation method, visit the Leica Science Lab and read an article about it.
