Webinars on Demand

Streamlined Single-Molecule FRET and FCS Measurements for Structural Biology and Phase Separation Studies

Quantitative single-molecule and time-resolved fluorescence techniques offer new insights into many samples from various research areas such as dynamic structural biology, cellular mechanisms driven by phase separation, and virology. Using examples from these areas, Dr. Maria Loidolt-Krüger shows how single-molecule FRET (smFRET), fluorescence (cross-)correlation spectroscopy, and time-resolved anisotropy can be combined to get a comprehensive picture of the sample under investigation.

In order to get reliable, quantitative results, many factors like laser power, or spectral bleed-through need to be considered. These will be discussed, together with ways to increase the accuracy and reproducibility of experiments, with a focus on smFRET studies. Ultimately, findings from in vitro studies need to be linked to studies in cells and tissues. Maria showcases how this can be achieved by taking FCS into cells, and by going from smFRET to FRET imaging, and from time-resolved anisotropy to anisotropy imaging.

Invited webinar - Microscopic Study of Defects in Metal Halide Perovskites Using FLIM and Capacitance Characterizations

In this webinar, Prof. Jinsong  Huang discusses the critical role that electronic defects play in determining the efficiency and stability of photovoltaic devices. He highlights the progress that has been made in defect elimination and passivation strategies for metal halide perovskite solar cells, which have seen a rapid increase in power conversion efficiency in recent years.

Prof. Huang also explains how FLIM and capacitance-based measurements can be used to directly visualize the impact of defects on the material`s physical properties. He presents several studies that use these techniques to answer critical questions such as the density and chemical nature of defects, as well as whether grain boundaries are as benign as bulk defects.

This webinar is an excellent opportunity to learn about the latest research techniques in perovskite solar cells and to interact with leading experts in the field.

• Recorded on June 21, 2023
• Speaker: Prof. Jinsong Huang, University of North Carolina, USA

About the speaker

Jinsong Huang is currently Louis D. Rubin, Jr. Distinguished Professor at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He received his PhD degree in Materials Science and Engineering from the University of California-Los Angeles in 2007. His current research interests include solution processed electronic materials for applications in energy, sensing, and consumer electronics. He has authored ~300 publications, >30 patents, >10 books and book chapters.

Luminosa – Explore new paths in confocal microscopy

Our latest time-resolved confocal microscopy system, Luminosa, pairs highest data quality with remarkably simple day-to-day operation. In this product presentation, Product Manager Dr. Evangelos Sisamakis and Application Specialist Dr. Mathias Bayer demonstrate how it easily integrates into any researcher's toolbox to become a time-efficient and reliable companion for scientists starting to explore the use of time-resolved fluorescence methodologies as well as experts wanting to push the limits further.

Invited webinar - Multimodal microscopy of halide perovskite solar cells

In this webinar, Prof. Sam Stranks from the University of Cambridge (UK) shares his insights into how multimodal microscopy helps in studying and optimizing halide perovskite solar cells.

What is the webinar about?

Halide perovskite solar cells are generating enormous excitement owing to their use in high-performance solar cells, LEDs and detectors. However, there remains performance losses and operational instability pathways in devices that limit their true potential. In this talk I will outline the state of the art in the field and the opportunities for boosting efficiencies and operational lifetimes. I will show a series of multimodal microscopy techniques that seek to unveil micro- and nano-scale connections between luminescence (performance), structural and chemical properties of these materials in devices. I will summarise how these findings inform our current understanding of carrier recombination, diffusion and degradation mechanisms on the micro-scale, and outline strategies to further improve performance and stability.

Prima – A new multiple color pulsed diode laser

When investigating a broad range of samples, researchers often need access to several excitation wavelengths. Buying multiple pulsed diode lasers or even a tunable laser can be quite expensive. PicoQuant’s solution for this challenge? The new compact, stand alone laser module Prima, which offers three individual emission wavelengths and can be operated either in picosecond pulsed or continuous wave mode. Join our Product Manager Guillaume Delpont for a sneak peak at this powerful yet affordable laser module.

Probing the Dynamics and Interaction Mechanisms of Intrinsically Disordered Proteins with Single-Molecule Spectroscopy

Ben Schuler from the University of Zürich (Switzerland) showcased how the combination of single-molecule FRET with nanosecond correlation spectroscopy, microfluidic mixing, and other methods can be used to probe the dynamics and interaction mechanisms of intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) over a wide range of timescales and in heterogeneous environments, including live cells.

What is the webinar about?

The functions of proteins have traditionally been linked to their well-defined three-dimensional, folded structures. It is now clear, however, that many proteins perform essential functions without being folded. Quantifying the highly dynamic and conformationally diverse ensembles of such unfolded or ‘intrinsically disordered’ proteins (IDPs) is an important aspect of understanding their functional mechanisms. Single-molecule spectroscopy is ideally suited for investigating these systems. I will illustrate how the combination of single-molecule Förster Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET) with nanosecond correlation spectroscopy, microfluidic mixing, and other methods can be used to probe the intra- and intermolecular distance distributions, reconfiguration dynamics, and interactions over a wide range of timescales, and in heterogeneous environments, including live cells.

MicroTime 200 Virtual Show Day

During our first MicroTime Virtual Show Day in September 2021 we presented the potential of single molecule lifetime measurements to advance your research and the unique performance of our confocal microscope, the MicroTime 200. Our experts Olaf Schulz and Mathias Bayer demonstrate how easily rapidFLIM, FLIM-FRET, smFRET and FC(C)S data can be acquired and analyzed.

Functional studies of dysfunctional proteins

Our series of free webinars featuring renowned scientists continues: Prof. Elizabeth Rhoades from the University of Pennsylvania (USA) shares some insights into her work on studying intrinsically disordered proteins..

Tau and alpha-synuclein are intrinsically disordered proteins, abundantly expressed in the brain. Both are associated with the pathology of devastating neurodegenerative diseases through their abnormal aggregation into beta-sheet rich fibers. Despite intensive study, many open questions remain about both the exact roles of these proteins in disease development, as well as about their native functions. We use fluorescence lifetime microscopy, single molecule fluorescence and fluorescence correlation spectroscopy to characterize the interactions of tau and alpha-synuclein with cellular binding partners to provide insight into their functional mechanisms which, in turn, may be used to identify novel therapeutic approaches to treat disease

FluoTime Show Day 2021

We held our first FluoTime Show Day on June 17th, 2021, During this virtual event, a group of guests got an in-depth introduction by Christian Oelsner (application specialist for spectroscopy) and Uwe Ortmann (head of sales and application specialist for spectroscopy and microscopy) to PicoQuant’s spectroscopy products and their capabilities.

The session showcased how our products can help you in your daily research tasks. A major highlight was the FluoMic add-on, which provides a fast, easy, and reliable way to carry out steady-state and time-resolved luminescence spectroscopy with a micrometer sized, positionable observation volume.

Recent application stories featuring PicoQuant’s picosecond pulsed lasers

Pulsed lasers have become an invaluable tool for many research areas. On April 1st, 2021, our product manager Guillaume Delpont gave a tour through recently published examples where picosecond pulsed laser light played a crucial role in tackling research challenges in fields as diverse as materials science, metrology and ranging. The webinar aims to show novice and expert laser users how such lasers can help in your research.

Tackling a billion events per second – High throughput time tagging using the new MultiHarp 160 with FPGA interface

Do your applications call for a time tagger featuring a large number of synchronized inputs without compromises in time resolution and data throughput? In this webinar recording, our Application Specialist Dr. Torsten Langer provides a closer look at the MultiHarp 160, PicoQuant’s new scalable multichannel event timer and Time-Correlated Single Photon Counting (TCSPC) unit. In this webinar, you will learn more about the unit’s capabilities as well as how the MultiHarp 160 might be of use for applications requiring high data throughput

Using pulsed laser light in your research – new application stories featuring PicoQuant’s picosecond pulsed lasers

Pulsed lasers have become an invaluable tool for many research areas. Join our product manager Guillaume Delpont on a tour through recently published examples where picosecond pulsed laser light played a crucial role in tackling research challenges in fields as diverse as materials science, metrology and ranging. The webinar aims to show novice and expert laser users how such lasers can help in your research.

Visualizing dynamic processes with rapidFLIM HiRes – the ultra fast FLIM imaging method with outstanding time resolution

Join Maria Loidolt-Krüger’s webinar about rapidFLIM^HiRes to learn more about this exciting imaging method. Maria will showcase the latest hardware and software developments that allow for rapid FLIM data acquisition and quantitative data analysis. Learn how this method can help you in visualizing dynamic processes in cells or tissues.

Environmental sensing with Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging (FLIM)

Since the fluorescence lifetime of a dye can be influenced by its environment, Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging (FLIM) becomes a tool for non-invasive environmental sensing inside living cells and tissues. Join Maria Loidolt-Krüger in this webinar to discover how special fluorophores can be used to measure ion concentrations or temperature, to detect lipid order, or even to sense membrane tension.

Applications of single molecule FRET (smFRET) in structural biology

Förster Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET) is a great tool for measuring distances and reporting interactions on the nanometer scale. Join Maria Loidolt-Krüger’s webinar to learn more about single molecule FRET (smFRET) measurements and how they can shed light on issues such as protein folding and protein conformational dynamics.

How Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging (FLIM) can help you solve daily research challenges

Over the years, Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging (FLIM) has become an indispensable tool for biology and life science. In this webinar, Mathias Bayer shows how this time-resolved microscopy method can help you in your everyday research, for example by quantifying protein interaction, check for protein oligomerization, separating tissue types, and many more.

Scanning Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy and Super-resolution Microscopy on 2D Lipid Membranes

Learn how scanning Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy can greatly help in studying slowly diffusing species as is often the case in cell membranes. In this webinar, Uwe Ortmann presents some of the advantages of this method using results from measurements on supported lipid bilayers.

Basics of time-resolved fluorescence microscopy – An introduction to PicoQuant‘s MicroTime 200 STED microscopy platform

Time-resolved fluorescence microscopy is a powerful tool for many areas in biology, biophysics, and material science. Join this webinar by Mathias Bayer to get a great primer on microscopy methods such as Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging (FLIM) and Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy (FCS), and to learn how these can be taken beyond the diffraction limit with Stimulated Emission Depletion (STED) microscopy.

Shaping nanosecond laser pulses via electro optical modulators and PicoQuant‘s PPL 512

In this webinar, Mario Gerecke presets how to generate nanosecond long laser pulses with arbitrarily shaped optical output using electro optical modulators in tandem with PicoQuant’s programmable diode laser PPL 512.

NEW TOPIC: Microscopy in materials science

In this webinar, Christian Oelsner shows the main aspects and advantages of different microscopy techniques for sample characterization in materials science. Besides the combination of FluoTime 300 with the FluoMic add-on, which is a powerful combination for collecting spectral and temporal information from a sample, confocal PLIM and FLIM will be introduced and demonstrated through a broad range of applications.

PicoQuant’s powerful tool for materials science

Discover the unknown in materials science by attending this webinar by Christian Oelsner. Learn about various spectroscopy and microscopy tools and methods that will enable you to find out more about the luminescence properties of your samples as well as their dynamics.

NEW TOPIC: Acquiring time-resolved data using PicoQuant’s TCSPC and time tagging electronics

Time-correlated single photon counting (TCSPC) is a powerful technique for acquiring time-resolved data. TCSPC is the cornerstone of PicoQuant’s fluorescence spectrometers and microscopes. In this webinar, Torsten Langer presents the theoretical concepts behind TCSPC as well as practical considerations for data acquisition using devices such as the HydraHarp 400 or MultiHarp 150.

Pulsed light as a versatile tool – recent application examples featuring PicoQuant‘s picosecond pulsed lasers

In this webinar you learn how picosecond pulsed laser sources can be a great tool for your daily research tasks. Guillaume Delpont demonstrates the versatility of such lasers through a series of real cases form recent research and practical applications where our lasers played an important role.

Advanced Antibunching and Coincidence Analysis with QuCoa, PicoQuant‘s Quantum Correlation Analysis Software

The QuCoa software package is an integrated solution for data acquisition and analysis using PicoQuant's TCSPC electronics, which is mainly targeted at research areas that rely on coincidence detection. In this webinar, Torsten Langer shows how to carry out some advanced analysis tasks with this software package.