Cell Biology Extracellular signals determine the fate of the cells that make up our bodies. Agonists such as hormones and chemical messengers, but also physical cues such as mechanical forces trigger a myriad of cell surface receptors to affect nearly every aspect of cell functioning. It is remarkable that while well over a thousand different cell surface receptors exist, they relay their signals via just a few hands full of intracellular second messenger systems. How can so many recipients be addressed via so few mail boxes? It has become clear that intracellular messages are finely confined in space as well as in time, allowing individual receptors to fine-tune where their message is relayed to.
Consequently, it is pivotal that we study intracellular signals with methods capable of resolving them with fine spatial and temporal resolution. Our lab specializes in the biophysical techniques that provide the required resolution, in particular in advanced live-cell microscopy and functional microscopy, which aims at understanding the function rather than just the localization or concentration of the biomolecules that constitute our cells. We develop novel methodologies, including hard- and software for various advanced microscopy applications, FRET/FLIM sensors, and methods to combine these techniques with (genetic) screening technology. These techniques are applied in research projects in our group as well as in collaborations within and outside our institute. As part of the van Leeuwenhoek Center for Advanced Microscopy (LCAM), our lab also is a certified EuroBioImaging flagship node for functional imaging.