Bridging Structure and Dynamics at the Nanoscale through Optogenetics and Electrical Stimulation

Nanoscale ultrastructural information is typically obtained by means of static imaging of a fixed and processed specimen. However, this is only a snapshot of one moment within a dynamic system in which structures are constantly changing. Exploring specific time points of a dynamic process is therefore a major challenge. Exploring a process at the nanoscale through optogenetics or electrical field stimulation in combination with timed millisecond precision vitrification is a promising technology to overcome this challenge. In the first part of a series of application notes the practical considerations of stimulation-assisted vitrification are discussed.