PhD defence by Jadze Princeton Narag

On Tuesday 11 July 2023, Jadze Princeton Narag will defend his PhD thesis "A light-sheet microscope for imaging living biomimetics ".

Time: 13:00

Place: Building 341, auditorium 22

Principal supervisor: Professor Emil Boye Kromann

Co-supervisor: Professor Niels B. Larsen

Professor Jens E. Wilhjelm

Assessment committee:
Professor Anders Kristensen, DTU Health Tech

Associate Professor Jonathan Brewer, University of Southern Denmark

Research Associate Gustavo Quintas Glasner de Medeiros, Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, Basel

Chairperson:
Senior Researcher Jannik Larsen, DTU Health Tech

Abstract:
Scientists rely on 3D cultures that mimic the natural environment of cells to model organs for research. However, imaging these cultures is challenging due to their complex structures. Light-sheet microscopy (LSM) offers an effective solution by enabling deep imaging with a wide field of view while minimizing phototoxicity. Recently, lattice light-sheet microscopy (LLSM) has emerged as a more advanced form of LSM that uses a coherent superposition of Bessel beams to create a light-sheet. This thesis focuses on the construction, optimization, and application of the LLSM imaging mode for imaging 3D biomimetic cultures. The instrument is equipped with adaptive optics that correct for aberrations, resulting in high axial resolution and minimal photobleaching and photodamage. The instrument enables high-quality imaging of both 2D and 3D cultures, as demonstrated in three imaging experiments. The results demonstrate the instrument's versatility in capturing a wide range of spatiotemporal dynamics, including the subcellular vesicle movement and multi-cellular structure of a biomimetic 3D skin culture. While the imaging of 3D cultures has been successful, there are still some limitations that need to be addressed in future research, such as the challenge of maintaining living samples for longer periods without degradation and bleaching. The results of this thesis provide valuable insights into the use and development of lattice light-sheet microscopy.