C8117 Advanced microscopy

Faculty of Science
Spring 2025
Extent and Intensity
1/0/0. 1 credit(s) (plus extra credits for completion). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
In-person direct teaching
Teacher(s)
Dr. rer. nat. habil. Hans-Heiner Gorris (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
Dr. rer. nat. habil. Hans-Heiner Gorris
Department of Biochemistry – Chemistry Section – Faculty of Science
Supplier department: Department of Biochemistry – Chemistry Section – Faculty of Science
Prerequisites
C3181 Biochemistry I || C3580 Biochemistry || C9530 Structure of biomacromolecules
A completed bachelor's degree is required for attending the course.
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
The lecture will teach advanced concepts of microscopy with a focus on fluorescence microscopy. Fluorescence microscopy gains further importance in the life sciences as a powerful imaging technique and not the least because it provides the ability to observe (and understand) molecular mechanisms at the single-molecule level. After a repetition of conventional light microscopy and fluorescence, the lecture will continue with advanced microscopic techniques, which will be underpinned by the demonstration of several applications. The lecture is complementary to C8116 "Immunochemical techniques".
Learning outcomes
After completing the course, a student will be able
- to distinguish and describe the main types of fluorescence microscopy.
- understand what can (and what cannot) be visulized by fluorescence microscopy.
- compare and select the best imaging technique for their application.
Syllabus
  • 1) Fundamentals of optical microscopy / resolution limit
  • 2) Bright-field / dark-field microscopy
  • 3) Phase-contrast microscopy
  • 4) Fundamentals of fluorescence / fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET)
  • 5) Fluorescence microscopy / fluorescent labelling
  • 6) Wide-field / confocal microscopy
  • 7) Multiphoton microscopy
  • 8) Total-internal reflection (TIRF) microscopy
  • 9) Fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM)
  • 10) Single-molecule fluorescence / FRET microscopy
  • 11) Super-resolution microscopy (STED/STORM)
  • 12) Light sheet microscopy
  • 13) Fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS)
  • 14) Near-field scanning optical microscopy (NSOM)
  • 15) Luminescent nanoparticles as alternatives for organic fluorophores
  • 16) Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) / cryogenic electron microscopy (cro-EM)
  • 17) Scanning electron microscopy (SEM)
  • 18) Overview of scanning probe techniques
Teaching methods
Lecture
Assessment methods
Oral examination
Language of instruction
English
Further Comments
The course can also be completed outside the examination period.
The course is taught annually.
The course is taught every week.
  • Enrolment Statistics (recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/sci/spring2025/C8117