Fluorescence-Based Imaging of Living Cells

Our Research

We investigate the physical principles of molecular and cellular processes in living matter in order to gain a deeper understanding of biological interactions and to establish methodological foundations for biomedical research. A central focus is the development and optimization of highly sensitive, non-invasive imaging methods that enable the observation of molecular and cellular interactions—particularly at biological membranes—under physiological conditions.

A distinctive feature of the research department is the application and further development of state-of-the-art super-resolution microscopy techniques, including STED and MINFLUX microscopy. These approaches make it possible to track dynamic processes with nanometer-scale precision. Such methods combine elements of structured illumination with single-molecule–based fluorescence spectroscopic techniques to visualize the smallest functional structures inside living cells.

The department aims to systematically advance existing imaging techniques and overcome their limitations—for example through new fluorescence probes, improved spatial resolution, or higher temporal precision. In interdisciplinary collaborations with partners from cell biology and medicine, novel observation methods are developed that provide quantitative insights into cellular organization and molecular dynamics.

Prof. Dr. Christian Eggeling

Head of Department
christian.eggeling@leibniz-ipht.de

Jana Schaarschmidt

Assistant
+49 3641 206101
jana.schaarschmidt@leibniz-ipht.de

Research Focus Areas

Fluorescence &
Super-Resolution Microscopy

High-resolution fluorescence microscopy for the temporally and spatially precise investigation of molecular processes in living cells

Molecular Dynamics
& Diffusion

Quantitative analysis of molecular motion and interactions using fluorescence correlation spectroscopy and single-molecule tracking

Method Development &
Imaging Combinations

Further development and combination of imaging techniques, including adaptive optics, tissue imaging, and correlative approaches

Membrane Biophysics &
Infection Research

Biophysical investigation of cell membranes as well as molecular mechanisms of bacterial antibiotic resistance and viral processes

Cooperations and Networks

The Biophysical Imaging research department is involved in numerous interdisciplinary collaborations that link imaging methods with biomedical and cell biological expertise. We are part of the Cluster of Excellence Balance of the Microverse, in which researchers investigate microbial interactions and communication. Imaging approaches developed by the department—and in particular the Microverse Imaging Center, which is established and operated by the department—contribute to making molecular processes and microorganisms visible under realistic conditions.

At the national and international level, the department collaborates with partners from the life and health sciences to integrate new imaging technologies into relevant biological research questions. These collaborations enable newly developed methods such as MINFLUX-based microscopy to be directly transferred into biological and biomedical contexts and further advanced there. This work is carried out, among others, within the Leibniz Cooperative Excellence Programme AMPel, the binational DFG–ANR project NanoLipoVirus, and the Collaborative Research Centre Polytarget (SFB 1278) on targeted drug delivery in organisms.

Additional important collaborative frameworks include the DFG-funded Research Training Groups RTG PhInt, which focus, among other topics, on photoswitchable membranes, antimicrobial materials, and imaging-based analytical approaches. The network is complemented by application-oriented joint projects such as the ZIM project SMARTIES and the research groups InflamoDetect and Multi-XUV funded by the Thuringian Development Bank.

Together, these networks provide the foundation for transferring innovative microscopy and analysis methods into relevant biological systems at an early stage and for continuously expanding their capabilities in close collaboration with partners.