Super-resolution imaging of rapid biological processes in real-time

Biochemists have defined a probably complete catalogue of proteins involved in insulin secretion. Similarly, over the last 2 decades, biochemists and physiologists have defined the physical characteristics of different types of ion channels that underlie normal pancreatic beta cell physiology. What is missing is information describing the "wheres and whens": where are these proteins (ie not just for example on the surface of a cell, but how are the single protein molecules arranged) and when do they act? Recently, it has become possible to examine the nano-scale locations, movements and interactions of 1000s of single molecules inside living cells. This talk will present our recent data quantifying the dynamic behaviours of the molecules that catalyse secretion in cells, as well as serve as an advertisement for the Edinburgh Super-resolution imaging consortium (ESRIC), an open-access technology development and instrumentation platform recently funded by the MRC.