Objective
Multiphoton microscopy is a benchmark tool in biomedical research, used for the fluorescence imaging in cellular environments. This has important implications for disease diagnosis and the monitoring of therapy response. In conventional two-photon microscopy the fluorescence intensity of the employed molecular probe is proportional to the square of the excitation light intensity, implying that the fluorescence from the sample is confined around the focal point, yielding good spatial resolution. The spatial resolution can be dramatically improved by drawing on higher-order processes such as four-photon absorption. However, its practical implementation imposes major technical challenges, such as extreme laser intensities in the deep NIR. For this reason four-photon microscopy has so far attracted academic interest only.
The present proposal addresses this issue and provides a multidisciplinary answer to the question: Can we develop a technique that offers spatial resolution of four-photon microscopy, but relies on two-photon absorption? This would combine the upsides of two-photon microscopy (low excitation energies provided by standard lasers at around 800 nm, high penetration depth in tissue) with the superior spatial resolution of four-photon microscopy. The result would be nothing less than a true paradigm shift in multiphoton microscopy. The key to tackle this highly ambitious task lies in the design of molecules that combine two mechanistically entangled two-photon processes (4for2) for the generation of a fluorescence output. This is possible by merging two-photon absorption, two-photon FRET-induced photoisomerization, and negative photochromism. Purposefully designed switchable fluorophores, that unify these photophysical assets, will be developed and their performance will be critically validated in a multi-angle spectroscopic work-flow, including the demonstration in application-relevant biological environments.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
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This project's classification has been validated by the project's team.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: https://op.europa.eu/en/web/eu-vocabularies/euroscivoc.
This project's classification has been validated by the project's team.
Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.3.1 - The European Innovation Council (EIC)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-EIC-2022-PATHFINDEROPEN-01
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
412 96 Goteborg
Sweden
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.