ITQ Severo Ochoa Lecture “Strategies and opportunities in single molecule fluorescence and super resolution imaging”
On Thursday, July 11, 2024, at 1:00 p.m. in the ITQ (UPV-CSIC) Auditorium, the ITQ Severo Ochoa Lecture, titled “Strategies and Opportunities in Single-Molecule Fluorescence and Super-Resolution Imaging,” will take place.
The speaker is Gonzalo Cosa, Professor in the Department of Chemistry at McGill University in Montreal, Canada.
Abstract
Our research program centers on designing photo-responsive molecules and imaging methodologies to uncover structural and dynamic information. The knowledge gained through our work has impacted the fields of chemical biology, biomaterials and biomedical/health sectors. In this presentation, I would like to discuss our efforts in areas of single molecule fluorescence microscopy. From optimizing fluorophore photostability1 to controlling fluorophore photoswitching through photochemical strategies.2 The focus will be on the photochemistry and photophysics of cyanine dyes, and the applications described will centre on the fabrication, imaging and characterization (structure and dynamics) of DNA nanomaterials3 as a case study, including the opportunity to develop an automated assembly of supramolecular structures.
1.a) J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2017, 139 , 13227; b) J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2018, 140 , 11006
a) J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2020, 142, 12681. b) J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2023, 145, 36, 19571
3.a) Nature Chem., 7, 2015, 295-300. b) Nature Commun, in press; c) ACS Nano, 12, 2018, 12836-12846; d)Adv. Mater. Submitted
Biography
Gonzalo Cosa received his Licentiate in Chemistry from Universidad Nacional de Rio Cuarto, Argentina, in 1996. He went on to pursue a Ph.D. at the University of Ottawa in Physical Organic and Photochemistry with Tito Scaiano. He was a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Texas at Austin developing single molecule spectroscopy methods under the supervision of Paul Barbara. In 2005, he joined the Department of Chemistry at McGill University as Assistant Professor, being promoted in 2016 to Professor. Since 2024 Gonzalo serves as Chair of the Department of Chemistry. He is also an associate editor of Photochemistry & Photobiology and a member of the Editorial board of ChemPhotoChem. In 2024 he was named the Canada Research Chair (Tier I) in Fluorescence Imaging and Biophotonics. His work has also been recognized by the Bernard Belleau Award in Medicinal Chemistry (2022) and the Keith Laidler Award in Physical Chemistry (2015), both from the Canadian Society of Chemistry. In addition, he is the recipient of the 2020 Chris S. Foote Named Lecture (UCLA, Chemistry), the 2012 American Society for Photobiology Young Investigator Award, the 2009 European Society for Photobiology Young Investigator Award, and the 2009 Inter-American Photochemical Society Young Investigator Award, among others.
