Abstract: In single-molecule localization microscopy, the point spread functions (PSFs) of single fluorescent molecules are captured and their locations are precisely resolved to reconstruct a super-resolved image. Considering that most organic fluorescent probes are well-approximated as oscillating electric dipoles, their emission patterns carry much rich information than molecular locations. In this presentation, I will talk about our recent development of single-molecule orientation localization microscopy (SMOLM) by implementing the engineered PSFs that efficiently encode the 3D orientation and wobble of single fluorescent molecules. I will demonstrate how the intermolecular forces influence the molecular orientation in 3D space, which enables a fluorescent molecule itself as a nanoscale sensor. SMOLM is therefore used to superresolve the nanoscale organizational and functional dynamics of various biomatters, including lipid membrane, peptide assemblies, DNA, etc.

Bio: Dr. Jin Lu joined the National Center for Nanoscience and Technology, China in 2021. He received his Ph.D. degree in chemistry from Tsinghua University in 2013. From 2014 to 2021, he was a postdoctoral research associate at University of Washington and Washington University in St. Louis. His research focuses on developing multi-module nanoscopy that resolves position, orientation, spectrum, and reactivity of single molecules with nanoscale resolution, to uncover fundamental principles governing single-entities’ (i.e., single molecule, single vesicle, single particle, single cell, etc.) chemical reactivities and biological functions.

https://scholar.google.com/citations?user="ImcSjGsAAAAJ&hl=en