STEMCut – Adaptive optics for in vivo photo-ablation and multiphoton imaging

From the manipulation of vertebrate adult neural stem cells in vivo to technology transfer

Neural stem cells (NSCs) in the vertebrate adult brain are arranged in pools, but the relevance of its functional role is unknown.

Our two teams, specialized respectively in optical methods and NSC biology, recently joined forces to put forward the zebrafish as a unique vertebrate enabling the imaging of adult NSCs in vivo in their niche, through the skin and skull.

The STEMCut project aims to develop a combined methodology of adaptive optics, laser ablation and multiphoton imaging to study these cells in situ, and address how population properties impact individual NSC state and fate.