About the research center

The Center

The Institute for Advanced Studies in Optics Applied to Cell Biology was established through the association between the Gleb Wataghin Institute of Physics and the Institute of Biology at Unicamp, with the objective of institutionalizing collaborations between Physics and Biomedical Sciences and developing advanced studies in biological materials using state-of-the-art lasers, as well as nonlinear optical techniques and equipment.

The decision to install the main laboratory at the Institute of Biology at Unicamp was made in order to bring the facilities closer to end users and also to separate it from the Applied Photonics to Biology Laboratory at IFGW, led by Dr. Carlos Lenz Cesar, which is responsible for prospecting new technologies. These technologies are subsequently transferred to INFABiC, where users receive the necessary support for their studies.

Funding for the creation of INFABiC originated from the CNPq/FAPESP consortium for the establishment of the National Institutes of Science and Technology. The submitted project included researchers from several national institutions, involving more than 30 researchers and 20 subprojects.

The project proposes the integrated implementation of the following biophotonic techniques:

    • Single-photon and two-photon laser scanning confocal microscopy;
    • Second Harmonic Generation (SHG) and Third Harmonic Generation (THG);
    • Raman microspectroscopy and microscopy;
    • CARS microscopy (Coherent Anti-Stokes Raman Scattering);
    • Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging Microscopy (FLIM);
    • Molecular interaction and energy transfer assays using FRET (Förster Resonance Energy Transfer);
    • Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy (FCS);
    • Fluorescence Recovery After Photobleaching (FRAP);
    • Spinning Disk techniques for real-time observation of rapid dynamic processes.

Instrumentation and Platform Capabilities

    • Confocal microscopy, 3D reconstruction, colocalization, and spectral imaging on the Zeiss LSM 780 NLO Confocal Microscope;
    • Fluorescence and time-lapse imaging on the Zeiss Inverted Fluorescence Microscope;
    • 4D microscopy on the Andor Spinning Disk Microscope;
    • SHG, THG, and FLIM on the Zeiss LSM 780 NLO Confocal Microscopes;
    • Laser microdissection using the Zeiss Laser Microdissection Microscope;
    • BioAFM NANORACER – Bruker;
    • CARS imaging on the Zeiss LSM 780 NLO Confocal Microscope;
    • Enhanced-resolution imaging using the Zeiss Fluorescence Microscope with APOTOME and the Zeiss LSM 880 Confocal Microscope with AIRYSCAN;
    • Super-resolution microscopy (SIM/PALM);
    • Leica STELLARIS DLS Microscope.