Overview
A common property during tumor development and other diseases is altered energy metabolism, which could lead to a switch between oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) and glycolysis. FLIM (fluorescence lifetime imaging) of metabolic coenzymes, as NAD(P)H and FAD, is now widely accepted to be one of the most reliable diagnostic methods to determine cell metabolism and different algorithms are actually investigated to get reproducible results. It is questionable if redox state and cell metabolism correlate, which is proved in case of a constant NADH/NAD+ pool. We will discuss the different ideas and approaches which were published so far and present new results in metabolic imaging considering the FLIM based NADH metabolic index as well as FLIRR based calculations including NADH, FAD and FMN. In addition, the phosphorescence lifetime of newly developed drugs will be used to demonstrate oxygen levels in PLIM (phosphorescence lifetime imaging) techniques. In conclusion, simultaneous imaging of phosphorescence and fluorescence lifetime parameters enables complex analysis of bioenergetic alterations.
About the speaker
Angelika Rueck studied chemistry at the University of Ulm and did her PhD in physical chemistry. For more than 20 years she led the research on photodynamic therapy and advanced microscopy at the Institute for advanced Photonics and Optics (ILM) in Ulm. Since 7 years she held the position of the director of the core facility and bioimaging research group confocal and multiphoton microscopy at the University Ulm and is responsible for microscopic applications and developments in the field of biomedical research and molecular medicine. Dr. Rueck´s scientific efforts are focused on new methods for time resolved luminescence spectroscopy and microscopy as FLIM, SLIM and PLIM in living cells and organisms. Imaging of cell metabolism, bioenergetic alterations and oxygen levels during tumor development, neurodegenerative and other diseases are investigated.
