FIP seminar: "Expansion Microscopy Demystified"

Expansion microscopy (ExM) has emerged as a transformative technique in super-resolution imaging, offering a cost-effective alternative to conventional optical methods. As the ExM field approaches its 10th anniversary, this talk provides you with a developer's perspective on ExM's advantages, challenges, applications, and future directions. At Shi Lab, we have developed several innovative ExM techniques, including Label-Retention ExM, Proximity-Labeling ExM, Landscape ExM, and GelTOPO. Each method aims to address a key limitation of ExM such as signal loss and hydrogel distortion, or to explore an imaging territory including interactome imaging and protein-lipid contextual imaging. The presentation will conclude with a case study demonstrating how ExM was instrumental in uncovering a novel aging mechanism linked to ribosome biogenesis and nuclear deformation. Collectively, these advancements significantly enhance the reliability and accuracy of expansion microscopy, paving the way for new biological discoveries.
Dr. Xiaoyu Shi is an Assistant Professor across three departments - Developmental and Cell Biology, Chemistry, and Biomedical Engineering - at the University of California, Irvine. Dr. Shi's academic journey began with a Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry and Astrophysics, specializing in nonlinear optics, from the University of California-Davis under the mentorship of Professor Cheuk Ng. Her postdoctoral endeavors took her to the University of California-San Francisco, where she worked with Professor Bo Huang to delve into the intricacies of super-resolution microscopy. In 2019, Dr. Shi established her laboratory at UC Irvine. Her research group is at the forefront of integrating optical and chemical methodologies to advance super-resolution microscopy and spatial proteomics. These cutting-edge technologies power her lab's exploration of cell aging, neurodegeneration, and cancer mechanisms. The science community has well recognized Dr. Shi's innovations. She has been honored with prestigious awards for early career faculty. Among these accolades are the NIH Director's New Innovator Award, the NIH Pathway to Independence Award, the NSF CAREER award, two Chan Zuckerberg awards, and the Hellman Fellowship.