All-Optical Electrophysiology to Explore the Brain

In Dr. Tang's lab, I use TIRF (Total Internal Reflection Fluorescence) Microscopy and SPIM (Selective Plane Illumination Microscopy) with fluorescent proteins to study the electrical nature of in vitro rat basal ganglia cells and in vivo zebrafish neurons.

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My Experience

When I first began working at this lab, I was tasked with extracting information about the specifications of various motor stages that could be used for the Selective Plane Illumination Microscope (SPIM) by speaking with several companies, and promptly reporting my findings in organized spreadsheets to my graduate mentor, Charles Liang, as well as my faculty mentor Dr. Tang. I also created theories and ideas for parts that could be used in the optical beam path of the LED laser in our SPIM set-up in order to properly align the various lenses. 

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I have also had the opportunity to write a significant section of our lab all-optical electrophysiology review; I extracted information from about 80 research papers and compiled thorough tables detailing various desired qualities from genetically engineered voltage indicators (GEVI) and membrane potential stimulators and inhibitors. I then carefully created figures using the quantitative data from my tables, as well as demonstrative qualitative figures that gave readers a basic understanding how these GEVI and stimulation tools were used. 

 

I was also able to learn LabView coding to create a comprehensive code that would allow intuitive and precise controls of motor stage movement. I worked with several undergraduates also coding other software tools (LEDs, waveform generators, cameras, ext.) to ensure that our motor stage would run smoothly. 

 

I was able to observe and take part in lab procedures to culture rat neurons and transfect them with these voltage indicator and stimulation proteins. I personally carried out HEK293T cell cultures, lipofectamine transfection, and viral harvest procedures with the guidance of my lab mentors. I was also able to closely observe the cell patch-clamp protocol carried out by Mr. Liang, my graduate mentor. Finally, I also completed MATLAB based data analysis on neuron spiking behaviors in different stiffness substrates.