Project description
Advancing single-molecule imaging
Conventional optical microscopes achieve a maximum resolution of 250 nm, posing significant limitations to structural biology efforts. The main goal of the EU-funded SM-SPAD project is to develop a 3D single-molecule fluorescence lifetime imaging technique to visualise macromolecules smaller than 100 nm. The proposed approach circumvents size restrictions by stochastically switching on single fluorescent molecules and determining their position in the image plane. SM-SPAD scientists will improve this technique through a combination of technologies that offer very high spatial and temporal resolution perfectly suitable for studying complex biological samples. Application of this technique in neuroscience will enable the localisation of large protein complexes responsible for the development of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.
Objective
The resolution limit of about 250 nm in conventional optical microscopes is problematic in the study of structural biology, since proteins, macromolecules and nuclear acids are typically much smaller than 100 nm. Single-molecule localization microscopy is able to circumvent this limit by sequentially and stochastically switching on/activating single fluorescent molecules and determining their position in the image plane. E.g. MINFLUX demonstrated a 3D resolution of 6 nm. However, the point-detection system in MINFLUX does not allow directly recording the image of the fluorescent molecules in the image plane, which is required for the localization, thus a rather complex and slow beam-scanning approach is required. Secondly, the technique does not leverage the fluorescence lifetime information, which can provide nanometer-scale information on the structure of interest, e.g. via Förster resonance energy transfer. In this project, both limitations will be tackled:
The main goal of the SM-SPAD project is to develop a 3D single-molecule fluorescence lifetime imaging technique for structural biology. The goal will be reached by combining the concept of MINFLUX with three new ideas: (i) 3D motionless structured illumination and structured detection for improved spatial resolution in all three dimensions; (ii) fluorescence antibunching analysis to speed up the data acquisition by enabling simultaneous localization of several active molecules; (iii) SM level fluorescence lifetime analysis to extract the maximum amount of information from the sample.
The proposed molecular-scale imaging technique, with very high spatial and temporal resolution, is perfectly suited for the study of complex biological samples. SM-SPAD is, in particular, promising in the field of neuroscience research, in which the organization of large protein complexes are of high interest, as they may play a crucial role in the development of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s .
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- natural sciences biological sciences neurobiology
- natural sciences biological sciences biochemistry biomolecules proteins
- natural sciences physical sciences optics microscopy fluorescence lifetime imaging
- medical and health sciences basic medicine neurology neurodegenerative diseases parkinson
- natural sciences biological sciences molecular biology structural biology
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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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H2020-EU.1.3. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
MAIN PROGRAMME
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H2020-EU.1.3.2. - Nurturing excellence by means of cross-border and cross-sector mobility
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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.
MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF)
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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) H2020-MSCA-IF-2019
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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.
16163 Genova
Italy
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.