Speaker:
Associate Professor Lu Gan

Synopsis:
The cell nucleus is one of the final frontiers of modern science. It is a mysterious portion of the cell that is comically depicted in science fiction. These inaccurate depictions come from textbook images, which themselves come from obsolete imaging methods of the 1950s. How can we get a more accurate picture of the nucleus, where the genome is stored? Our group has used a method called “electron cryotomography”, or cryo-ET to tackle this challenge. Cryo-ET is a form of 3-D imaging that resembles a molecular CAT scan. Using cryo-ET, my students have produced some of the first 3-D images of nuclei in their natural state. These images are changing our view of the nucleus and how genes are turned off and on. The methods we are developing will ultimately allow us to understand how human cells get “sick” at the molecular level.

For enquiries, please contact:

Mr Ambert Ang
Phone: +65  65162711
Email: DBS_outreach@nus.edu.sg