Speaker

Dr. Carlos Renteria, Biomedical Engineer, National Research Council Postdoctoral Fellow, NIST

Abstract

Optical imaging offers a suite of rich molecular information to reveal the composition of cells and their local tissue microenvironment. However, many conventional methods lack the biochemical specificity and versatility to fully capture this molecular landscape. In this talk, I describe my work engineering next-generation multiphoton and chemical imaging tools to realize new capabilities for bioimaging. First, I detail the development of a custom two-photon microscope used to simultaneously stimulate and image calcium transients in retinal cells that drive circadian rhythms, characterizing their unique responses to ultrafast irradiation. Extending these multiphoton capabilities, I showcase novel, label-free biomarkers for neurodegenerative disease in murine brain tissue. Lastly, I present advances in mid-infrared (MIR) absorption microscopy to bypass the traditional limits of water absorption towards long-term, quantitative, spectroscopic imaging of live cells. By integrating these advanced optical techniques, my research establishes a versatile framework for imaging transient biological phenomena with high molecular and chemical specificity, providing new avenues for fundamental neuroscience, retinal imaging, and many other applications.

Bio

Carlos Renteria is a Biomedical Engineer whose research spans the intersection of optics, neuroscience, and biotechnology. During his PhD at the University of Illinois at UrbanaChampaign, he developed two-photon imaging tools to stimulate photosensitive cells with singlecell precision, and simultaneously monitor their corresponding calcium dynamics. As a National Research Council (NRC) Postdoctoral Fellow at NIST, he is engineering new chemical imaging tools for transient, high-speed imaging of biomolecules. His research seeks to advance the state-of-the-art microscopy tools available to investigate transient biological systems for reliable probing and quantification of intrinsic biomolecules, especially in the brain and retina.