A joint seminar of the Department of Biomedical Engineering and Data Science Research Center
Speaker: Yoav Shechtman,
Technion
Title: Microscopic particle localization in 3D and in multicolor
Abstract:
Precise determination of the
position of a single point source (e.g. fluorescent molecule/protein, quantum
dot) is at the heart of microscopy methods such as single particle tracking and
super-resolution localization microscopy ((F)PALM, STORM). Localizing a point
source in all three dimensions, i.e. including depth, poses a significant
challenge; the depth of field of a standard high-NA microscope is fundamentally
limited, and its point-spread-function (PSF), namely, the shape that a point
source creates in the image plane, contains little information about the
emitter’s depth. Various techniques exist that enable 3D localization,
prominentamong
them being PSF engineering, in which the PSF of a microscope is modified to
encode the depth of the source. This is achieved by shaping the wavefront of
the light emitted from the sample, using a phase mask in the pupil (Fourier)
plane of the microscope.
In this talk, I will
describe how our search for the optimal PSF for 3D localization, using tools
from estimation theory, led to the development of microscopy systems with
unprecedented capabilities in terms of depth of field and spectral
discrimination. Such methods enable fast, precise, non-destructive localization
in thick samples and in multicolor. Applications of these novel advances will
be demonstrated, including super-resolution imaging, tracking biomolecules in
living cells and microfluidic flow profiling.
I will also present our
most recent results: 1. Application of deep learning for solving difficult
localization problems (high density, low SNR, multicolor imaging), and 2.
Precise refractometry from minute volumes by super-critical-angle fluorescence.
About the speaker:
Dr. Yoav Shechtman is
an Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering at the Technion, Israel
Institute of Technology, where he leads the Nano-Bio-Optics lab. Yoav Finished
all degrees at the Technion: BSc in Physics and Electrical Engineering (2007),
Phd (2013), and then completed a postdoc at Stanford University (2016),
developing super-resolution microscopy methods with W.E. Moerner. His research
interests lie mainly in developing and applying optical and signal processing
methods for nanoscale imaging challenges. Among Yoav's awards and recognitions:
2013 Hershel Rich Innovation Award, 2016 Technion Career Advancement Chair,
2017 Zuckerman Faculty Scholar, 2018 Early Career Award of the International
Association for Medical and Biological Engineering (IAMBE), 2018 European
Research Council starting grant.
