Professor Paola Borri

: Available for postgraduate supervision

Teams and roles for Paola Borri

Head of Molecular Biosciences Division
School of Biosciences

Research activities in my group cover the area of biophotonics at the interface between life and physical sciences. In collaboration with the School of Physics and Astronomy, my research work includes:

developing next-generation multiphoton microscopes based on Coherent Raman Scattering (CRS) for label-free studies in living cells and tissues
developing novel optical microscopy techniques for imaging and tracking single small nanoparticles background free inside cells
developing optical biosensors for sensitive detection of biomolecules using plasmonic sensing with metallic nanoparticles or photonic cavities
developing quantitative optical extinction and phase contrast microscopy methods for sensitive morphometric analysis of single bio-nanoparticles

See also our MUSIQ website for an update on the research within this EU consortium.

News

See our research highlights recently published:

ACS Photonics titled High-sensitivity detection of chiro-optical effects in single nanoparticles by four-wave mixing interferometry
Light: Science and Applications (Nature Portfolio) titled Correlative light-electron microscopy using small gold nanoparticles as single probes
Analytical Chemistry titled Quantitative label-free imaging of lipid domains in single bilayers by hyperspectral coherent Raman scattering.
RSC Nanoscale titled The optical nanosizer – quantitative size and shape analysis of individual nanoparticles by high-throughput widefield extinction microscopy
RSC Nanoscale titled Four-wave-mixing microscopy reveals non-colocalisation between gold nanoparticles and fluorophore conjugates inside cells
Phys Rev X titled Background-free 3D nanometric localization and sub-nm asymmetry detection of single plasmonic nanoparticles by four-wave mixing interferometry with optical vortices.

Interested in joining my lab as a self-funded post-graduate student or a postdoc/fellow? Please contact me by email.

Date
Type

2019

Boorman, D. et al. 2019. Optimisation of multimodal coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering microscopy for the detection of isotope-labelled molecules. Presented at: SPIE BIOS San Francisco, CA, USA 2-7 February 2019. Proceedings Volume 10890, Label-free Biomedical Imaging and Sensing (LBIS) 2019. Vol. 108900.Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE). , pp.4. (10.1117/12.2509280)
Borri, P. et al. 2019. Imaging lipids in living mammalian oocytes and early embryos by coherent Raman scattering microscopy. Presented at: SPIE BIOS San Francisco, CA, USA 2-7 February 2019. Proceedings Volume 10890, Label-free Biomedical Imaging and Sensing (LBIS) 2019. Vol. 108900.Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE). , pp.3. (10.1117/12.2506248)
Borri, P. et al. 2019. Imaging and tracking single plasmonic nanoparticles in 3D background-free with four-wave mixing interferometry. Presented at: SPIE BIOS San Francisco, CA, USA 2-7 February 2019. Proceedings Volume 10894, Plasmonics in Biology and Medicine XVI. Vol. 108940.Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE). , pp.34. (10.1117/12.2507618)
Bradley, J. et al. 2019. Dynamic label-free imaging of lipid droplets and their link to fatty acid and pyruvate oxidation in mouse eggs. Journal of Cell Science 132 (13) jcs228999. (10.1242/jcs.228999)
Karuna, A. et al. 2019. Label-free volumetric quantitative imaging of human osteosarcoma cells by hyperspectral coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering. Presented at: SPIE BIOS San Francisco, California, US 2-7 Feb 2019. Multiphoton Microscopy in the Biomedical Sciences XIX. Vol. 10882.Proceedings of SPIE Bellingham, Washington: SPIE. , pp.108821P. (10.1117/12.2510277)
Karuna, A. et al. 2019. Label-free volumetric quantitative imaging of the human somatic cell division by hyperspectral coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering. Analytical Chemistry 91 (4), pp.2813-2821. (10.1021/acs.analchem.8b04706)
Langbein, W. et al. 2019. Heterodyne dual-polarization epi-detected CARS microscopy for chemical and topographic imaging of interfaces. Presented at: SPIE BIOS San Francisco, California, US 2-7 Feb 2019. Label-free Biomedical Imaging and Sensing (LBIS) 2019. Vol. 10890.Bellingham, Washington: Society of Photo-optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE). (10.1117/12.2507636)
Payne, L. et al. 2019. Quantitative high-throughput optical sizing of individual colloidal nanoparticles by wide-field imaging extinction microscopy. Presented at: SPIE BIOS San Francisco, CA, USA 2-7 February 2019. Proceedings Volume 10892, Colloidal Nanoparticles for Biomedical Applications XIV. Vol. 108920.Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE). , pp.17. (10.1117/12.2507632)
Regan, D. et al. 2019. Lipid Bilayer thickness measured by quantitative DIC reveals phase transitions and effects of substrate hydrophilicity. Langmuir 35 (43), pp.13805-13814. (10.1021/acs.langmuir.9b02538)
Regan, D. et al. 2019. Measuring sub-nanometre thickness changes during phase transitions of supported lipid bilayers with quantitative differential interference contrast microscopy. Presented at: SPIE BIOS San Francisco, California, US 2-7 Feb 2019. Quantitative Phase Imaging V. Vol. 10887.Proceedings of SPIE Bellingham, Washington: SPIE(10.1117/12.2510461)
Zilli, A. , Langbein, W. and Borri, P. 2019. Quantitative measurement of the optical cross-sections of single nano-objects by correlative transmission and scattering micro-spectroscopy. ACS Photonics 6 (8), pp.2149-2160. (10.1021/acsphotonics.9b00727)

2018

Becker, M. A. et al. 2018. Long exciton dephasing time and coherent phonon coupling in CsPbBr2Cl perovskite nanocrystals. Nano Letters 18 (12), pp.7546-7551. (10.1021/acs.nanolett.8b03027)
Borri, P. et al. 2018. Imaging and tracking single plasmonic nanoparticles in 3D background-free with four-wave mixing interferometry. Presented at: International Conference on Transparent Optical Networks Bucharest, Romania 1-5 Jul 2018. 20th International Conference on Transparent Optical Networks (ICTON). IEEE. (10.1109/ICTON.2018.8473874)
Gines, L. et al. 2018. Production of metal-free diamond nanoparticles. ACS Omega 3 (11), pp.16099-16104. (10.1021/acsomega.8b02067)
Langbein, W. et al. 2018. Heterodyne dual-polarization epi-detected CARS microscopy for chemical and topographic imaging of interfaces. APL Photonics 3 092402. (10.1063/1.5027256)
Masia, F. et al. 2018. Label-free quantitative chemical imaging and classification analysis of adipogenesis using mouse embryonic stem cells. Journal of Biophotonics 11 (7) e201700219. (10.1002/jbio.201700219)
Masia, F. et al. 2018. Bessel-beam hyperspectral CARS microscopy with sparse sampling: enabling high-content high-throughput label-free quantitative chemical imaging. Analytical Chemistry 90 (6), pp.3775-3785. (10.1021/acs.analchem.7b04039)
Palombo, F. et al., 2018. Hyperspectral analysis applied to micro-Brillouin maps of amyloid-beta plaques in Alzheimer’s brain. Analyst 143 , pp.6095-6102. (10.1039/C8AN01291A)
Payne, L. , Langbein, W. and Borri, P. 2018. Wide-field imaging of single nanoparticle extinction with sub-nm2 sensitivity. Physical Review Applied 9 034006. (10.1103/PhysRevApplied.9.034006)
Pope, I. et al. 2018. Coherent Raman Scattering microscopy: technology developments and biological applications. Presented at: 20th International Conference on Transparent Optical Networks (ICTON) Bucharest, Romania 1-5 Jul 2018. 20th International Conference on Transparent Optical Networks (ICTON). IEEE. (10.1109/ICTON.2018.8473706)
Sayers, E. J. et al. 2018. Switching of macromolecular ligand display by thermoresponsive polymers mediates endocytosis of multi-conjugate nanoparticles. Bioconjugate Chemistry 29 (4), pp.1030-1046. (10.1021/acs.bioconjchem.7b00704)

2017

Payne, L. , Langbein, W. W. and Borri, P. 2017. Erratum: Polarization-resolved extinction and scattering cross-section of individual gold nanoparticles measured by wide-field microscopy on a large ensemble [Appl. Phys. Lett. 102, 131107 (2013)]. Applied Physics Letters , pp.-.
Werrell, J. et al. 2017. Effect of slurry composition on the chemical mechanical polishing of thin diamond films. Science and Technology of Advanced Materials 18 (1), pp.654-663. (10.1080/14686996.2017.1366815.)
Zoriniants, G. et al., 2017. Background-free 3D nanometric localization and sub-nm asymmetry detection of single plasmonic nanoparticles by four-wave mixing interferometry with optical vortices. Physical Review X 7 (4) 041022. (10.1103/PhysRevX.7.041022)

2016

Borri, P. , Langbein, W. and Masia, F. 2016. Surface plasmon four-wave mixing microscopy. US8817261 B2[Patent]
Bradley, J. et al. 2016. Quantitative imaging of lipids in live mouse oocytes and early embryos using CARS microscopy. Development 143 , pp.2238-2247. (10.1242/dev.129908)
Di Napoli, C. et al., 2016. Quantitative spatiotemporal chemical profiling of individual lipid droplets by hyperspectral CARS microscopy in living human adipose-derived stem cells. Analytical Chemistry 88 (7), pp.3677-3685. (10.1021/acs.analchem.5b04468)
Karuna, A. et al. 2016. Hyperspectral volumetric coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering microscopy: quantitative volume determination and NaCl as non-resonant standard. Journal of Raman Spectroscopy 47 (9), pp.1167-1173. (10.1002/jrs.4876)

2015

Masia, F. et al. 2015. Hyperspectral image analysis for CARS, SRS, and Raman data. Journal of Raman Spectroscopy 46 (8), pp.727-734. (10.1002/jrs.4729)
Moody, P. R. et al. 2015. Receptor crosslinking: a general method to trigger internalization and lysosomal targeting of therapeutic receptor: ligand complexes. Molecular Therapy 23 (12), pp.1888-1898. (10.1038/mt.2015.178)
Naeem, A. et al. 2015. Giant exciton oscillator strength and radiatively limited dephasing in two-dimensional platelets. Physical Review B 91 (12) 121302(R). (10.1103/PhysRevB.91.121302)
Payne, L. et al. 2015. Optical micro-spectroscopy of single metallic nanoparticles: quantitative extinction and transient resonant four-wave mixing. Faraday Discussions 184 , pp.305-320. (10.1039/C5FD00079C)

2014

Di Napoli, C. et al. 2014. Chemically-specific dual/differential CARS micro-spectroscopy of saturated and unsaturated lipid droplets. Journal of Biophotonics 7 (1-2), pp.68-76. (10.1002/jbio.201200197)
Di Napoli, C. et al. 2014. Hyperspectral and differential CARS microscopy for quantitative chemical imaging in human adipocytes. Biomedical Optics Express 5 (5), pp.1378-1390. (10.1364/BOE.5.001378)
Langbein, W. W. and Borri, P. 2014. Resonant nonlinear optical microscopy. Presented at: International School of Physics 'Enrico Fermi' Varenna, Italy 12-22 July 2011. Published in: Pavone, F. S. , So, P. T. C. and French, P. M. W. eds. Microscopy Applied to biophotonics: Proceedings of the International School of Physics 'Enrico Fermi', Course 181. Proceedings of the International School of Physics 'Enrico Fermi' Vol. 181. Amsterdam: IOS Press; Ohmsha; 1999. , pp.141-173. (10.3254/978-1-61499-413-8-141)
Masia, F. , Borri, P. and Langbein, W. W. 2014. Sparse sampling for fast hyperspectral coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering imaging. Optics Express 22 (4), pp.4021-4028. (10.1364/OE.22.004021)
Pope, I. et al. 2014. Coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering microscopy of single nanodiamonds. Nature Nanotechnology 9 (11), pp.940-946. (10.1038/nnano.2014.210)

2013

Li, B. , Borri, P. and Langbein, W. W. 2013. Dual/differential coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering module for multiphoton microscopes with a femtosecond Ti:sapphire oscillator. Journal of Biomedical Optics 18 (6) 066004. (10.1117/1.JBO.18.6.066004)
Masia, F. et al. 2013. Quantitative chemical imaging and unsupervised analysis using hyperspectral coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering microscopy. Analytical Chemistry 85 (22), pp.10820-10828. (10.1021/ac402303g)
Masia, F. , Langbein, W. W. and Borri, P. 2013. Polarization-resolved ultrafast dynamics of the complex polarizability in single gold nanoparticles. Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics 15 (12), pp.4226-4232. (10.1039/C2CP43451B)
McPhee, C. et al. 2013. Measuring the lamellarity of giant lipid vesicles with differential interference contrast microscopy. Biophysical Journal 105 (6), pp.1414-1420. (10.1016/j.bpj.2013.07.048)
Payne, L. M. , Langbein, W. W. and Borri, P. 2013. Polarization-resolved extinction and scattering cross-sections of individual gold nanoparticles measured by wide-field microscopy on a large ensemble. Applied Physics Letters 102 (13) 131107. (10.1063/1.4800564)
Pope, I. et al. 2013. Simultaneous hyperspectral differential-CARS, TPF and SHG microscopy with a single 5 fs Ti:Sa laser. Optics Express 21 (6), pp.7096-7106. (10.1364/OE.21.007096)
Rocha-Mendoza, I. , Borri, P. and Langbein, W. W. 2013. Quadruplex CARS micro-spectroscopy. Journal of Raman Spectroscopy 44 (2), pp.255-261. (10.1002/jrs.4181)
Stephens, P. et al., 2013. Nondestructive imaging of stem cells and their differentiated progeny. Wound Repair and Regeneration 21 (6), pp.A84-A84.
Wagner, H. P. et al., 2013. Effects of uniaxial pressure on polar whispering gallery modes in microspheres. Journal of Applied Physics 113 (24) 243101. (10.1063/1.4811447)
Zumbusch, A. , Langbein, W. W. and Borri, P. 2013. Nonlinear vibrational microscopy applied to lipid biology. Progress in Lipid Research 52 (4), pp.615-632. (10.1016/j.plipres.2013.07.003)

2012

Accanto, N. et al., 2012. Engineering the spin-flip limited exciton dephasing in colloidal CdSe/CdS quantum dots. Acs Nano 6 (6), pp.5227-5233. (10.1021/nn300992a)
Masia, F. et al. 2012. Masia et al. reply. Physical Review Letters 109 (22) 229702. (10.1103/PhysRevLett.109.229702)
Masia, F. et al. 2012. Spin-flip limited exciton dephasing in CdSe/ZnS colloidal quantum dots. Physical Review Letters 108 (8) 087401. (10.1103/PhysRevLett.108.087401)
Masia, F. , Langbein, W. W. and Borri, P. 2012. Measurement of the dynamics of plasmons inside individual gold nanoparticles using a femtosecond phase-resolved microscope. Physical Review B: Condensed Matter and Materials Physics 85 (23), pp.235403-235413. (10.1103/PhysRevB.85.235403)
Omari, A. et al., 2012. Role of interband and photoinduced absorption in the nonlinear refraction and absorption of resonantly excited PbS quantum dots around 1550 nm. Physical Review B: Condensed Matter and Materials Physics 85 (11), pp.115318-115328. (10.1103/PhysRevB.85.115318)
Pope, I. et al. 2012. Live cell imaging with chemical specificity using dual frequency CARS microscopy. In: Conn, P. M. ed. Imaging and Spectroscopic Analysis of Living Cells — Optical and Spectroscopic Techniques. Methods in Enzymology Vol. 504.Amsterdam: Elsevier. , pp.273-291. (10.1016/B978-0-12-391857-4.00014-8)

2011

Borri, P. and Langbein, W. W. 2011. Ultrafast conditional carrier dynamics in semiconductor quantum dots. Presented at: Ultrafast Phenomena in Semiconductors and Nanostructure Materials XV San Francisco, CA, USA 23-26 January 2011. Published in: Tsen, K. et al., Ultrafast Phenomena in Semiconductors and Nanostructure Materials XV. Vol. 7937.Proceedings of SPIE SPIE. , pp.793704. (10.1117/12.873835)
Langbein, W. W. et al. 2011. Differential CARS microscopy with linearly chirped femtosecond laser pulses. Presented at: Multiphoton Microscopy in the Biomedical Sciences XI San Francisco, CA, USA 23-25 January 2011. Published in: Periasamy, A. , König, K. and So, P. T. C. eds. Multiphoton Microscopy in the Biomedical Sciences XI. Vol. 7903.SPIE Proceedings SPIE. , pp.79031I. (10.1117/12.873872)
Masia, F. et al. 2011. Exciton dephasing in lead sulfide quantum dots by X-point phonons. Physical Review B 83 (20) 201309. (10.1103/PhysRevB.83.201309)
Masia, F. et al. 2011. Triply surface-plasmon resonant four-wave mixing imaging of gold nanoparticles. Presented at: Plasmonics in Biology and Medicine VIII San Francisco, CA, USA 23-24 January 2011. Published in: Vo-Dinh, T. and Lakowicz, J. R. eds. Plasmonics in Biology and Medicine VIII. Vol. 7911.Proceedings of SPIE S P I E - International Society for Optical Engineering. , pp.79110Y. (10.1117/12.873883)
Perrins, R. D. et al. 2011. Doing more with less: a method for low total mass, affinity measurement using variable-length nanotethers. Analytical Chemistry 83 (23), pp.8900-8905. (10.1021/ac2012569)
Pope, I. et al. 2011. CARS imaging for high throughput microscopy. Biotech International 23 (Apr/Ma), pp.11-13.

2010

Borri, P. , Cesari, V. and Langbein, W. W. 2010. Measurement of the ultrafast gain recovery in InGaAs/GaAs quantum dots: beyond a mean-field description. Physical Review B 82 (11) 115326. (10.1103/PhysRevB.82.115326)
Cesari, V. , Langbein, W. W. and Borri, P. 2010. Dephasing of excitons and multiexcitons in undoped and p-doped InAs/GaAs quantum dots-in-a-well. Physical Review B 82 (19) 195314. (10.1103/PhysRevB.82.195314)
Langbein, W. W. et al. 2010. Ultrafast gain dynamics in InP quantum-dot optical amplifiers. Applied Physics Letters 97 (21) 211103. (10.1063/1.3518715)
Masia, F. et al. 2010. Four-wave mixing imaging to study protein entry and release in mammalian cells [Abstract]. Drug Discovery Today 15 (23-24), pp.1089. (10.1016/j.drudis.2010.09.377)
Masia, F. et al. 2010. Four-wave-mixing imaging and carrier dynamics of PbS colloidal quantum dots. Physical Review B 82 (15) 155302. (10.1103/PhysRevB.82.155302)

2009

Borri, P. et al. 2009. Gain dynamics in p-doped InGaAs quantum dot amplifiers from room to cryogenic temperatures. Presented at: Physics and simulation of optoelectronic devices XVII San Jose, CA, USA 26-29 January 2009. Published in: Osiński, M. et al., Physics and simulation of optoelectronic devices XVII: 26 January 2009, San Jose, CA, USA. Proceedings of SPIE Vol. 7211. Bellingham, WA: SPIE - International Society for Optical Engineering. , pp.72110Z. (10.1117/12.808206)
Borri, P. , Lutti, J. and Langbein, W. 2009. Whispering-gallery modes in dielectric microspheres for biosensing applications. Presented at: nternational Conference on Transparent Optical Networks Sao Miguel Azores, Portugal 28 June-2 July 2009. ICTON 2009 11th International Conference on Transparent Optical Networks: Ponta Delgada University, S. Miguel, Azores, Portugal, 28th June-2nd July 2009. New York: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. , pp.1-3. (10.1109/ICTON.2009.5185193)
Cesari, V. et al. 2009. Refractive index dynamics and linewidth enhancement factor in p-Doped InAs-GaAs quantum-dot amplifiers. IEEE Journal of Quantum Electronics 45 (6), pp.579-585. (10.1109/JQE.2009.2013110)
Cesari, V. , Langbein, W. and Borri, P. 2009. The role of p-doping in the gain dynamics of InAs/GaAs quantum dots at low temperature. Applied Physics Letters 94 (4) 041110. (10.1063/1.3075855)
Kasry, A. et al. 2009. Comparison of methods for generating planar DNA-modified surfaces for hybridization studies. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces 1 (8), pp.1793-1798. (10.1021/am9003073)
Langbein, W. W. et al. 2009. Modelling the response of whispering-gallery-mode optical resonators for biosensing applications. Presented at: International Conference on Transparent Optical Networks (ICTON) São Miguel, Azores, Portugal 28 June - 2 July 2009. Proceedings of the11th International Conference on Transparent Optical Networks (ICTON '09), Azores, 28 June - 2 July 2009. Piscataway, NJ: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. , pp.1. (10.1109/ICTON.2009.5185173)
Langbein, W. W. et al. 2009. Modelling the response of whispering-gallery-mode optical resonators for biosensing applications. Presented at: Nanoscale imaging, sensing, and actuation for biomedical applications 6 San Jose, CA, USA 27-28 January 2009. Published in: Cartwright, A. N. and Nicolau, D. V. eds. Proceedings of the Nanoscale Imaging, Sensing, and Actuation for Biomedical Applications VI conference, San Jose, USA, 27 January 2009. Proceedings of SPIE Vol. 7188. Bellingham, WA: SPIE. , pp.71880G. (10.1117/12.808790)
Langbein, W. W. , Rocha-Mendoza, I. and Borri, P. 2009. Single source coherent anti-Stokes Raman microspectroscopy using spectral focusing. Applied Physics Letters 95 (8) 081109. (10.1063/1.3216073)
Langbein, W. W. , Rocha-Mendoza, I. and Borri, P. 2009. Coherent anti-Stokes Raman micro-spectroscopy using spectral focusing: theory and experiment. Journal of Raman Spectroscopy 40 (7), pp.800-808. (10.1002/jrs.2264)
Langbein, W. W. , Watson, P. D. and Borri, P. 2009. Four-wave mixing of gold nanoparticles for three-dimensional cell microscopy. Presented at: Lasers and Electro-Optics 2009 and the European Quantum Electronics Conference. CLEO Europe - EQEC 2009. European Conference on Munich, Germany 14-19 June 2009. Published in: Masia, F. et al. 2009 Conference on Lasers & Electro-Optics Europe & 11th European Quantum Electronics Conference (CLEO EUROPE/EQEC 2009). Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers ( IEEE )(10.1109/CLEOE-EQEC.2009.5191714)
Lumb, M. P. et al., 2009. Ultrafast absorption recovery dynamics of 1300 nm quantum dot saturable absorber mirrors. Applied Physics Letters 95 (4)(10.1063/1.3186081)
Masia, F. , Langbein, W. W. and Borri, P. 2009. Multi-photon microscopy based on resonant four-wave mixing of colloidal quantum dots. Presented at: Colloidal quantum dots for biomedical applications IV San Jose, CA, USA 24 January 2009. Published in: Osinski, M. , Jovin, T. M. and Yamamoto, K. eds. Colloidal Quantum Dots for Biomedical Applications IV: Saturday 24 January 2009, San Jose, CA, USA. Proceedings of SPIE Vol. 7189-3. Bellingham, WA: SPIE - International Society for Optical Engineering. , pp.71890Z. (10.1117/12.807968)
Masia, F. , Langbein, W. W. and Borri, P. 2009. Novel multi-photon microscopy based on resonant nonlinear optics of colloidal quantum dots. Physica Status Solidi. C 6 (4), pp.916-919. (10.1002/pssc.200880667)
Masia, F. et al. 2009. Resonant four-wave mixing of gold nanoparticles for three-dimensional cell microscopy. Optics Letters 34 (12), pp.1816-1818. (10.1364/OL.34.001816)
Rocha-Mendoza, I. et al., 2009. Differential coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering microscopy with linearly chirped femtosecond laser pulses. Optics Letters 34 (15), pp.2258-2260. (10.1364/OL.34.002258)
Rocha-Mendoza, I. , Langbein, W. W. and Borri, P. 2009. CARS microscopy using linearly chirped ultrafast laser pulses. Presented at: Multiphoton microscopy in the biomedical sciences IX San Jose, CA, USA 25-27 January 2009. Published in: Periasamy, A. and So, P. T. C. eds. Proceedings of the Multiphoton Microscopy in the Biomedical Sciences IX conference, San Jose, USA, 25 January 2009. Vol. 7183.Proceedings of the SPIE Bellingham, WA: SPIE. , pp.71830T. (10.1117/12.809411)
Sun, Y. et al., 2009. Fabrication and optical properties of thin silica-coated CdSe/ZnS quantum dots. Physica Status Solidi a Applications and Materials Science 206 (12), pp.2822-2825. (10.1002/pssa.200925250)

2008

Borri, P. and Langbein, W. W. 2008. Transient four-wave mixing of excitons in quantum dots from ensembles and individuals. In: Benson, O. and Henneberger, F. eds. Semiconductor Quantum Bits. Singapore: Pan Stanford Publishing. , pp.269-319.
Chantada, L. et al., 2008. Optical resonances in microcylinders: Response to perturbations for biosensing. Journal of the Optical Society of America B 25 (8), pp.1312-1321. (10.1364/JOSAB.25.001312)
Dale, T. C. , Harwood, A. J. and Borri, P. 2008. Method of measuring the affinity of biomolecules. EP1949104A2[Patent]
Lutti, J. , Langbein, W. W. and Borri, P. 2008. A monolithic optical sensor based on whispering-gallery modes in polystyrene microspheres. Applied Physics Letters 93 (15) 151103. (10.1063/1.2998652)
Masia, F. , Langbein, W. W. and Borri, P. 2008. Multiphoton microscopy based on four-wave mixing of colloidal quantum dots. Applied Physics Letters 93 (2) 021114. (10.1063/1.2959737)
Rocha-Mendoza, I. , Langbein, W. W. and Borri, P. 2008. Coherent anti-Stokes Raman microspectroscopy using spectral focusing with glass dispersion. Applied Physics Letters 93 (20) 201103. (10.1063/1.3028346)

2007

Borri, P. and Langbein, W. W. 2007. Four-wave mixing dynamics of excitons in InGaAs self-assembled quantum dots. Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter 19 (29) 295201. (10.1088/0953-8984/19/29/295201)
Cesari, V. et al. 2007. Ultrafast carrier dynamics in p-doped InAs/GaAs quantum-dot amplifiers. IET Optoelectronics 1 (6), pp.298-302. (10.1049/iet-opt:20070040)
Cesari, V. et al. 2007. Ultrafast gain dynamics in 1.3um InAs/GaAs quantum-dot optical amplifiers: The effect of p doping. Applied Physics Letters 90 (20) 201103. (10.1063/1.2739079)
Lutti, J. , Langbein, W. W. and Borri, P. 2007. High Q optical resonances of polystyrene microspheres in water controlled by optical tweezers. Applied Physics Letters 91 (14) 141116. (10.1063/1.2795332)

2006

Borri, P. et al. 2006. Dephasing of excited-state excitons in InGaAs quantum dots. physica status solidi (b) 243 (15), pp.3890-3894. (10.1002/pssb.200671516)
Borri, P. et al. 2006. Ultrafast carrier dynamics in InGaAs quantum dot materials and devices. Journal of Optics A: Pure and Applied Optics 8 (4), pp.S33. (10.1088/1464-4258/8/4/S03)

2005

Axt, V. M. et al., 2005. Observation of an unusual temperature dependence of the initial decoherence time in quantum dots. Physica Status Solidi C: Current Topics in Solid State Physics 2 (8), pp.3167-3170. (10.1002/pssc.200460779)
Borri, P. et al. 2005. Exciton dephasing via phonon interactions in InAs quantum dots: dependence on quantum confinement. Physical Review B: Condensed Matter and Materials Physics 71 (11) 115328. (10.1103/PhysRevB.71.115328)
Langbein, W. W. et al. 2005. Coherent dynamics in InGaAs quantum dots and quantum dot molecules. Physica E: Low-dimensional Systems and Nanostructures 26 (1-4), pp.400-407. (10.1016/j.physe.2004.08.004)
Schneider, S. et al., 2005. Excited-state gain dynamics in InGaAs quantum-dot amplifiers. IEEE Photonics Technology Letters 17 (10), pp.2014-2016. (10.1109/LPT.2005.856446)
Schneider, S. et al., 2005. Ultrafast gain recovery dynamics of the excited state in InGaAs quantum dot amplifiers. Presented at: Conference on Lasers & Electro-Optics (CLEO) Baltimore, MD 22-27 May 2005. 2005 Conference on Lasers & Electro-Optics (CLEO) : May 22-27, 2005, Baltimore, MD. Vol. 3.Washington, DC: IEEE. , pp.1674-1676. (10.1109/CLEO.2005.202237)

2004

Bayer, M. et al., 2004. Quantum dots: building blocks of quantum devices?. In: Kramer, B. ed. Advances in Solid State Physics. Vol. 44, Berlin: Springer. , pp.191-211. (10.1007/978-3-540-39970-4_16)
Borri, P. et al. 2004. Dephasing processes in InGaAs quantum dots and quantum-dot molecules. Presented at: Quantum Dots, Nanoparticles, and Nanoclusters San Jose, CA 26-27 January 2004. Published in: Huffaker, D. L. and Bhattacharya, P. eds. Quantum Dots, Nanoparticles, and Nanoclusters: 26-27 January, 2004, San Jose, California, USA. SPIE proceedings series Vol. 5361. Bellingham, WA: SPIE--the International Society for Optical Engineering. , pp.96-107. (10.1117/12.531544)
Ivanova, A. et al. 2004. Radiative corrections to the excitonic molecule state in GaAs microcavities. Physical Review B: Condensed Matter and Materials Physics 69 (7) 075312. (10.1103/PhysRevB.69.075312)
Langbein, W. W. , Borri, P. and Woggon, U. 2004. Control of fine-structure splitting and biexciton binding in In_{x}Ga_{1-x}As quantum dots by annealing. Physical Review B: Condensed Matter and Materials Physics 69 (16) 161301(R). (10.1103/PhysRevB.69.161301)
Langbein, W. W. et al. 2004. Radiatively limited dephasing in InAs quantum dots. Physical Review B: Condensed Matter and Materials Physics 70 (3) 033301. (10.1103/PhysRevB.70.033301)
Ortner, G. et al., 2004. Exciton states in self-assembled InAs/GaAs quantum dot molecules. Physica E: Low-dimensional Systems and Nanostructures 25 (2-3), pp.249-260. (10.1016/j.physe.2004.06.024)
Schneider, S. et al., 2004. Linewidth enhancement factor in InGaAs quantum-dot amplifiers. IEEE Journal of Quantum Electronics 40 (10), pp.1423-1429. (10.1109/JQE.2004.834779)
Vagov, A. et al., 2004. Nonmonotonous temperature dependence of the initial decoherence in quantum dots. Physical Review B: Condensed Matter and Materials Physics 70 (20) 201305(R). (10.1103/PhysRevB.70.201305)

2003

Borri, P. and Langbein, W. W. 2003. Dephasing processes and carrier dynamics in (In,Ga)As quantum dots. In: Michler, P. ed. Single Quantum Dots: Fundamentals, Applications, and New Concepts. Topics in Applied Physics Vol. 90.Berlin: Springer. , pp.237-268. (10.1007/978-3-540-39180-7_6)
Borri, P. et al. 2003. Dephasing of biexcitons in InGaAs quantum dots. physica status solidi (b) 238 (3), pp.593-600. (10.1002/pssb.200303177)
Borri, P. et al. 2003. Temperature dependence homogeneous broadening and gain recovery dynamics in InGaAs quantum dots. Presented at: 10th International Symposium on Nanostructures: Physics and Technology St. Petersburg, Russia 17-21 June 2002. Published in: Alferov, Z. I. and Esaki, R. eds. 10th International Symposium on Nanostructures: Physics and Technology. (Proceedings of SPIE). SPIE Proceedings Series Vol. 5023. Bellingham, WA: SPIE,. , pp.334-339. (10.1117/12.514297)
Borri, P. et al. 2003. Exciton dephasing in quantum dot molecules. Physical Review Letters (PRL) 91 (26) 267401. (10.1103/PhysRevLett.91.267401)
Borri, P. et al. 2003. Biexcitons in semiconductor microcavities. Semiconductor Science and Technology 18 (10), pp.S351-S360. (10.1088/0268-1242/18/10/309)
Schneider, S. et al., 2003. Self-induced transparency in InGaAs quantum-dot waveguides. Applied Physics Letters 83 (18), pp.3668-3670. (10.1063/1.1624492)

2002

Borri, P. et al. 2002. Rabi oscillations in the excitonic ground-state transition of InGaAs quantum dots. Physical Review B 66 (8) 081306(R). (10.1103/PhysRevB.66.081306)
Borri, P. et al. 2002. Coherent light-matter interaction in InGaAs quantum dots: Dephasing time and optical Rabi oscillations. physica status solidi (b) 233 (3), pp.391-400. (10.1002/1521-3951(200210)233:3<391::AID-PSSB391>3.0.CO;2-J)
Borri, P. et al. 2002. Exciton relaxation and dephasing in quantum-dot amplifiers from room to cryogenic temperature. IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Quantum Electronics 8 (5), pp.984-991. (10.1109/JSTQE.2002.804250)
Borri, P. et al. 2002. Relaxation and dephasing of multiexcitons in semiconductor quantum dots. Physical Review Letters (PRL) 89 (18) 187401. (10.1103/PhysRevLett.89.187401)
Borri, P. et al. 2002. Coherent dynamics of biexcitons in a semiconductor microcavity. physica status solidi (a) 190 (2), pp.383 -387. (10.1002/1521-396X(200204)190:2<383::AID-PSSA383>3.0.CO;2-G)
Borri, P. et al. 2002. Temperature-dependent time-resolved four-wave mixing in InGaAs quantum dots. physica status solidi (a) 190 (2), pp.517-521. (10.1002/1521-396X(200204)190:2<517::AID-PSSA517>3.0.CO;2-K)
Hvam, J. M. et al., 2002. Semiconductor quantum-dot lasers and amplifiers. Presented at: Semiconductor Lasers and Optical Amplifiers for Lightwave Communication Systems Boston, MA 29-30 July 2002. Published in: Mirin, R. P. and Menoni, C. S. eds. Semiconductor Lasers and Optical Amplifiers for Lightwave Communication Systems.. SPIE Proceedings Series Vol. 4871. Bellingham, WA: SPIE. , pp.130-140. (10.1117/12.457282)

2001

Borri, P. et al. 2001. Coherent versus incoherent dynamics in InAs quantum-dot active wave guides. Journal of Applied Physics 89 (11), pp.6542-6544. (10.1063/1.1367410)
Borri, P. et al. 2001. Spectral hole-burning and carrier-heating dynamics in quantum-dot amplifiers: comparison with bulk amplifiers. Physica Status Solidi (b) 224 (2), pp.419-423. (10.1002/1521-3951(200103)224:2<419::AID-PSSB419>3.0.CO;2-J)
Borri, P. et al. 2001. Ultralong Dephasing Time in InGaAs Quantum Dots. Physical Review Letters (PRL) 87 (15) 157401. (10.1103/PhysRevLett.87.157401)
Borri, P. et al. 2001. Biexcitons or bipolaritons in a semiconductor microcavity?. Presented at: 25th International Conference on the Physics of Semiconductors Osaka, Japan 17-22 September 2000. Published in: Miura, N. and Ando, T. eds. Proceedings of the 25th International Conference on the Physics of Semiconductors Part I. Springer Proceedings in Physics Vol. 87. Berlin: Springer. , pp.681-682.
Borri, P. et al. 2001. Ultrafast carrier dynamics and dephasing in InAs quantum-dot amplifiers emitting near 1.3-μm-wavelength at room temperature. Applied Physics Letters 79 (16), pp.2633-2635. (10.1063/1.1411986)
Fiore, A. et al., 2001. Structural and electrooptical characteristics of quantum dots emitting at 1.3 μm on gallium arsenide. IEEE Journal of Quantum Electronics 37 (8), pp.1050-1058. (10.1109/3.937394)
Hughes, S. et al., 2001. Ultrashort pulse-propagation effects in a semiconductor optical amplifier: microscopic theory and experiment. IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Quantum Electronics 7 (4), pp.694-702. (10.1109/2944.974241)
Hughes, S. et al., 2001. Ultrashort pulse compression in a semiconductor optical amplifier. Presented at: 4th Pacific Rim Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics Chiba-shi, Japan 15-19 July 2001. Cleo/Pacific Rim 2001: The 4th Pacific Rim Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics, Chiba, Japan, 15-19 July, 2001. Vol. 2.Piscataway, NJ: IEEE. , pp.500-501. (10.1109/CLEOPR.2001.971053)

2000

Borri, P. et al. 2000. Direct evidence of reduced dynamic scattering in the lower polariton of a semiconductor microcavity. Physical Review B 61 (20), pp.R13377-R13380. (10.1103/PhysRevB.61.R13377)
Borri, P. et al. 2000. Temperature dependence of the polariton linewidth in a GaAs quantum well microcavity. Physica Status Solidi (b) 221 (1), pp.143-146. (10.1002/1521-3951(200009)221:1<143::AID-PSSB143>3.0.CO;2-5)
Borri, P. et al. 2000. Coherent versus incoherent dynamics in InAs quantum dots: the role of elastic dephasing. Presented at: 25th International Conference on the Physics of Semiconductors Osaka, Japan 17–22 September 2000. Published in: Miura, N. and Ando, T. eds. Proceedings of the 25th International Conference on the Physics of Semiconductors: Osaka, Japan, September 17-22, 2000. Vol. 2.Springer Proceedings in Physics Vol. 87. Berlin: Springer. , pp.1221-1222.
Borri, P. et al. 2000. Spectral hole-burning and carrier-heating dynamics in InGaAs quantum-dot amplifiers. IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Quantum Electronics 6 (3), pp.544-551. (10.1109/2944.865110)
Borri, P. et al. 2000. Time-resolved four-wave mixing in InAs/InGaAs quantum-dot amplifiers under electrical injection. Applied Physics Letters 76 (11), pp.1380-1382. (10.1063/1.126038)
Borri, P. et al. 2000. Ultrafast gain dynamics in InAs-InGaAs quantum-dot amplifiers. IEEE Photonics Technology Letters 12 (6), pp.594-596. (10.1109/68.849054)
Borri, P. et al. 2000. Room-temperature dephasing in InAs quantum dots. Physica Status Solidi (a) 178 (1), pp.337-340. (10.1002/1521-396X(200003)178:1<337::AID-PSSA337>3.0.CO;2-M)
Borri, P. et al. 2000. Biexcitons or bipolaritons in a semiconductor microcavity. Physical Review B 62 (12), pp.R7763-R7766. (10.1103/PhysRevB.62.R7763)
Borri, P. et al. 2000. Microcavity polariton linewidths in the weak-disorder regime. Physical Review B 63 (3) 035307. (10.1103/PhysRevB.63.035307)
Borri, P. et al. 2000. Separation of coherent and incoherent nonlinearities in a heterodyne pump-probe experiment. Optics Express 7 (3), pp.107-112. (10.1364/OE.7.000107)
Fiore, A. et al., 2000. Time-resolved optical characterization of InAs/InGaAs quantum dots emitting at 1.3 μm. Applied Physics Letters 76 (23), pp.3430-3432. (10.1063/1.126668)
Jensen, J. R. et al., 2000. Ultranarrow polaritons in a semiconductor microcavity. Applied Physics Letters 76 (22), pp.3262-3264. (10.1063/1.126601)
Romstad, F. et al., 2000. Measurement of pulse amplitude and phase distortion in a semiconductor optical amplifier: from pulse compression to breakup. IEEE Photonics Technology Letters 12 (12), pp.1674-1676. (10.1109/68.896345)

1999

Borri, P. et al. 1999. Excitation transfer through thick barriers in asymmetric double-quantum-well structures. Physica E: Low-dimensional Systems and Nanostructures 5 (1-2), pp.73-83. (10.1016/S1386-9477(99)00028-4)
Borri, P. et al. 1999. Well-width dependence of exciton-phonon scattering in InxGa1-xAs/GaAs single quantum wells. Physical Review B 59 (3), pp.2215-2222. (10.1103/PhysRevB.59.2215)
Borri, P. et al. 1999. Binding energy and dephasing of biexcitons in In0.18Ga0.82As/GaAs single quantum wells. Physical Review B 60 (7), pp.4505-4508. (10.1103/PhysRevB.60.4505)
Borri, P. et al. 1999. Dephasing in InAs/GaAs quantum dots. Physical Review B 60 (11), pp.7784 -7787. (10.1103/PhysRevB.60.7784)
Borri, P. et al. 1999. Heterodyne pump-probe and four-wave mixing in semiconductor optical amplifiers using balanced lock-in detection. Optics Communications 169 (1-6), pp.317-324. (10.1016/S0030-4018(99)00391-0)
Borri, P. et al. 1999. Measurement and calculation of the critical pulsewidth for gain saturation in semiconductor optical amplifiers. Optics Communications 164 (1-3), pp.51-55. (10.1016/S0030-4018(99)00175-3)
Hvam, J. M. , Langbein, W. W. and Borri, P. 1999. Ultrafast dynamics of confined and localized excitons in low-dimensional semiconductors. Presented at: Conference on Ultrafast Phenomena in Semiconductors III San Jose, CA 27-29 January 1999. Published in: Tsen, K. F. ed. Ultrafast Phenomena in Semiconductors III: 27-29 January, 1999, San Jose, California. SPIE Proceedings Series Vol. 3624. Bellingham, WA: The International Society for Optical Engineering (SPIE). , pp.40-48. (10.1117/12.349310)

1998

Borri, P. , Langbein, W. W. and Hvam, J. M. 1998. Ultrafast spectroscopy of semiconductor devices. Presented at: 10th International Symposium on Ultrafast Phenomena in Semiconductors Vilnius, Lithuania August-September 1998. Published in: Asmontas, S. and Dargys, A. eds. Ultrafast phenomena in semiconductors : proceedings of the 10th International Symposium on Ultrafast Phenomena in Semiconductors (10-UFPS), held in Vilnius, Lithuania, August/September 1998. Materials Science Forum Vol. 297-8. Zurich: Trans TechPublications. , pp.67-71.
Gurioli, M. et al., 1998. Exciton formation and relaxation in GaAs epilayers. Physical Review B 58 (20), pp.R13403-R13406. (10.1103/PhysRevB.58.R13403)
Langbein, W. W. , Borri, P. and Hvam, J. M. 1998. Coherent exciton and biexciton nonlinearities in semiconductor nanostructures: effects of disorder. Presented at: 10th International Conference on Ultrafast Phenomena in Semiconductors Vilnius, Lithuania August-September 1998. Published in: Steponas, A. and Dargys, A. eds. Ultrafast Phenomena in Semiconductors: Proceedings of the 10th International Symposium on Ultrafast Phenomena in Semiconductors (10-UFPS), held in Vilnius, Lithuania, August/September 1998. Materials Science Forum Vol. 297-8. Zurich: Trans Tech Publications. , pp.73-78.

1997

Borri, P. et al. 1997. Non-linear carrier dynamics in a GaAS / AlAs heterostructure using time-correlated photoluminescence spectroscopy. Journal of Luminescence 72-74 , pp.316-317. (10.1016/S0022-2313(96)00169-X)
Borri, P. et al. 1997. Auger heating of carriers in GaAs / AlAs heterostructures. Solid State Communications 103 (2), pp.77-81. (10.1016/S0038-1098(97)00150-6)
Borri, P. et al. 1997. Competition effects in the carrier capture into InxGa1-xAs/GaAs double-quantum-well structures. Physical Review B 56 (15), pp.9228-9230. (10.1103/PhysRevB.56.9228)
Borri, P. et al. 1997. Phonon-assisted modulation of the electron collection efficiency into InxGa1—xAs/GaAs quantum wells. Physica Status Solidi (b) 204 (1), pp.201-204. (10.1002/1521-3951(199711)204:1<201::aid-pssb201>3.0.co;2-u)
Borri, P. et al. 1997. Carrier transfer between InGaAs/GaAs quantum wells separated by thick barriers. Physica Status Solidi (a) 164 (1), pp.227-230. (10.1002/1521-396X(199711)164:1<227::AID-PSSA227>3.0.CO;2-X)
Borri, P. et al. 1997. Nonlinear response of localized excitons: effects of the excitation-induced dephasing. Physica Status Solidi (a) 164 (1), pp.61-65. (10.1002/1521-396X(199711)164:1<61::AID-PSSA61>3.0.CO;2-R)
Chastaingt, B. et al., 1997. Controlled type-I-type-II transition in GaAs/AlAs/AlxGa1-xAs double-barrier quantum wells. Physical Review B 55 (4), pp.2393-2400. (10.1103/PhysRevB.55.2393)
Grassi Alessi, M. et al., 1997. Formation and relaxation of exciton-carbon acceptor complexes in GaAs. Physical Review B 56 (7), pp.3834-3837. (10.1103/PhysRevB.56.3834)
Orani, D. et al., 1997. Binding energy and lifetime of excitons in InxGa1-xAs/GaAs quantum wells. Physica Status Solidi (a) 164 (1), pp.107-110. (10.1002/1521-396x(199711)164:1<107::aid-pssa107>3.0.co;2-8)

1996

Borri, P. et al. 1996. Photoinduced structures in the exciton luminescence spectrum of InGaAs/GaAs quantum well heterostructures. Journal of Applied Physics 80 (5), pp.3011-3016. (10.1063/1.363160)
Martelli, F. et al., 1996. Exciton localization by potential fluctuations at the interface of InGaAs/GaAs quantum wells. Physical Review B 53 (11), pp.7421-7425. (10.1103/PhysRevB.53.7421)

1995

Borri, P. et al. 1995. Excitation energy dependence of the optical properties of InGaAs/GaAs quantum well heterostructures. Il Nuovo Cimento D 17 (11-12), pp.1383-1387. (10.1007/BF02457214)

Projects

Coherent Raman Scattering microscopy for label-free imaging of living cells and tissues

Optical microscopy is an indispensable tool for cell biology. Different microscopy methods are currently available and continuous effort is devoted to develop new techniques with improved sensitivity, selectivity and spatial resolution. An important issue in recent microscopy is the ability to perform non-invasive studies avoiding the need for fluorescent probes that are prone to photobleaching and can perturb the cell structure and function.

Together with Prof. Wolfgang Langbein in the School of Physics and Astronomy, we have developed a range of home-built laser-scanning multiphoton microscopes based on Coherent Raman Scattering (CRS), enabling rapid label-free chemically specific microscopy of living cells and tissues. A second-generation CRS microscope located in the School of Biosciences has been specifically built to perform multimodal correlative CRS, two -photon fluorescence (TPF) and second harmonic generation (SHG) microscopy for applications in cell biology. This system enables hyperspectral CRS acquisition which has led to the development of a quantitative image analysis tool to distinguish the composition of chemical components and retrieve their concentration and spatial distribution.

With these tools, we have determined the lipid uptake of fixed and living adipose derived human stem cells differentiating into pre-adipocytes, the lipid content and spatial distribution in live mammalian oocytes and early embryos, demonstrated a high-throughput high-content platform for drug screens, and quantitatively measured masses of lipids, proteins and DNA during cell division. We have also shown that CRS can be used to visualise single non-fluorescing nanodiamonds in cells for the first time (see Publications).

Resonant Four-Wave Mixing Imaging with gold nanoparticles

Imaging and tracking single nanoparticles using optical microscopy are powerful techniques with many applications in biology, chemistry, and material sciences. Applied methods to achieve contrast are dominantly fluorescence based, with fundamental limits in the emitted photon fluxes arising from the excited-state lifetime as well as photobleaching.

We have developed a new technique, based on four-wave mixing (FWM) interferometry, whereby single non-fluorescing gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) are imaged background-free even inside highly heterogeneous cellular environments, owing to their specific nonlinear plasmonic response, and their position is determined with nanometric precision in 3D. The technique is also uniquely sensitive to particle asymmetries of only 0.5% ellipticity, corresponding to a single atomic layer of gold, as well as particle orientation and chirality.

With this technique, we are investigating a number of AuNP-ligand-fluorophore conjugates and their integrity inside cells, using AuNPs as small as 5nm in radius and correlative FWM/confocal fluorescence imaging. The technique opens the prospect to an unprecedented level of understanding of the intracellular fate of single small AuNPs and their trafficking within complex 3D architectures inside living cells (see Publications).

Other research interests

Quantitative optical extinction microscopy of individual nano-objects
Ultrafast coherent dynamics of semiconductor quantum dot materials and devices
Optical biosensing by exploiting plasmonic resonances or photonic cavities
Time-resolved Förster Resonance Energy Transfer (TR FRET) as probe of biomolecular interactions

Our Biophotonics laboratory is a spoke of the Bioimaging Research Hub facility

Grants

BBSRC, EPSRC, MRC, Leverhulme Trust, EU, Ministry of Defence – Dstl, DTI

Group members

Iestyn Pope, Research Technical Professional (School of Biosciences, Cardiff)
David Regan, Research Associate (School of Physics and Astronomy, Cardiff)
Lukas Payne, Research Associate (School of Physics and Astronomy, Cardiff)
Freya Turley, PhD Student (School of Physics and Astronomy, Cardiff)
Ozan Aksakal, PhD student (School of Biosciences, Cardiff)
Athena Zitti, PhD student (School of Biosciences, Cardiff)
Emily Lewis, PhD student (School of Biosciences, Cardiff)
Owen Evans, PhD Student (School of Physics and Astronomy, Cardiff)
Amit Nilabh, PhD Student (School of Biosciences, Cardiff)
Tess Harrison, PhD student (School of Biosciences, Cardiff)
Adam Cutts, PhD student (School of Biosciences, Cardiff)
Matthew De Guzman, PhD student (School of Biosciences, Cardiff)
Lurui Wan, PhD student (School of Biosciences, Cardiff)
Emma Bopp, MPhil student (School of Biosciences, Cardiff)
John McLarnon, PhD student (School of Biosciences, Cardiff)
Martyna Wezyk, PhD student (School of Biosciences, Cardiff)
Alex Moger, PhD student (School of Biosciences, Cardiff)
Jonathan Osano, PhD student (School of Biosciences, Cardiff)
Ali Alnahdi, PhD Student (School of Physics and Astronomy, Cardiff)

Collaborators

Wolfgang Langbein (School of Physics and Astronomy)
Francesco Masia, (School of Biosciences, Cardiff)
Peter Watson (School of Biosciences)
Dafydd Jones (School of Biosciences)
Arwyn Jones (School of Pharmacy)
Karl Swann (School of Biosciences)
Colin Berry (School of Biosciences)
Angharad Jones (School of Biosciences)
Catherine Hogan (School of Biosciences)
Renata Jurkowska (School of Biosciences)
Florian Siebzhenrubl (School of Biosciences)

Module Lead of 4th-year Intergated Masters module "Advanced Research Methods"

I did my undergraduate in Physics at the University of Florence (Italy) and then received the Laurea (MSc equivalent) summa cum laude and the Ph.D degree in Physics in 1993 and 1997 respectively. From 1997 to 1999 I was Assistant Research Professor at the Technical University of Denmark (Kgs.Lyngby, Denmark).

From 1999 to 2004 I worked as Senior Scientist and EU Marie Curie Fellow (2001-2003) at the Physics Department of Dortmund University in Germany where I received the Habilitation degree in Physics (Venia Legendi) in 2003. During this time I investigated the nonlinear optical properties of semiconductor nanostructures, such as InGaAs quantum wells and quantum dots. In particular, I developed a new technique for the ultrafast coherent laser spectroscopy of these nanostructures.

From September 2004 I moved to Cardiff University as Senior Lecturer. On August 1st 2007 I was promoted to Reader and on August 1st 2011 to a Personal Chair.

Since Jan 2021 I have been an Associate Editor of Applied Physics Letters (American Institute of Physics Publishing). I am a regular panel member for the EPSRC Physical Sciences Prioritisation Meetings and the BBSRC ALERT calls. In Oct-Dec 2021 I have served as panel member for the Science Foundation Ireland (SFI), in the 8-year review of the Irish Photonic Integration Centre (IPIC).

Honours and awards

In 2015 I received the Royal Society Wolfson Research Merit Award. Jointly funded by the Wolfson Foundation and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), the scheme aims to provide universities with additional support to enable them to attract science talent from overseas and retain respected UK scientists of outstanding achievement and potential.

I received the Marie Curie Excellence Award from the European Commission during the official award ceremony at the Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne on the 16th November 2006.

Marie Curie Excellence Awards (EXA) aim to give public recognition to outstanding past achievements of scientists who have reached a level of exceptional excellence in their given field. Up to five prizes of 50 000 Euros each are awarded every year.

Professional memberships

In 2010-2015 I was an EPSRC Leadership Fellow.

Since 2014 I am Fellow of the Learned Society of Wales.

I am interested in supervising PhD students in these research areas:

nonlinear laser micro-spectroscopy
label-free vibrational microscopy of living cells and tissues
imaging and tracking single nanoparticles in living systems
lipid membrane biophysics

Project Example:

Title: Shedding new light on single protein-lipid membrane interactions

The interaction between proteins and lipid membranes is a fundamental process underpinning key functions in cell biology and the maintenance of life. Membrane proteins account for approximately 27% of the entire human proteome, and membrane receptors make up the largest group of drug targets in humans since they play a critical role in both infection and immunity [1]. Membranes are also the target for protein toxins produced by pathogens to attack cells from the outside and introduce perforations. Beyond their impact to human disease, toxins are of great interest in biotechnology, to control e.g. insect pests of agriculture [2]. Moreover, the challenge of antimicrobial resistance has ignited strong interest in antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) which form membrane-spanning pores as part of their bactericidal activity [3].

Despite the widespread importance of such systems, many key questions are still unanswered, including how do proteins remodel and diffuse within membranes in space and time? Where do they partition, depending on the heterogeneous lipid membrane chemical composition and curvature? How is the protein function modulated by the lipid environment at the atomic, molecular and long-range meso-scale? How is the lipid membrane local composition and curvature affected by the protein (an interplay often overlooked).

A major roadblock in achieving this understanding is the lack of suitable techniques capable of measuring single protein-lipid membrane interactions at the nanoscale with sub-millisecond time resolution, while keeping the system under observation in its intact natural state and without introducing structural-functional artefacts. Optical microscopy is a promising non-destructive and non-contact technique. However, to achieve the required sensitivity and specificity, presently it relies on tagging proteins and/or lipids, typically with fluorophores, which raises the question if the observed behaviour is real or artefactual [4].

The aim of this project is to contribute to the development and application of novel label-free optical imaging techniques to quantify the diffusion and partitioning of single proteins in physiologically relevant lipid membranes.

[1] https://doi.org/10.1038/nrd3478

[2] https://doi.org/10.3390/toxins6123296

[3] https://doi.org/10.3389/fcimb.2016.00194

[4] http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nphoton.2015.251

Research Environment: You will be exposed to a vibrant multi-disciplinary environment at the physics/life science interface. You will join a well-funded academic team, with an outstanding track record of student supervision and publication output. The supervisory team offers a unique combination of expertise, with strong track records in developing novel optical microscopy techniques applied to life sciences. You will be immersed in a collaborative environment with expertise in the biology of lipid membranes and pore forming proteins, endocytosis and intracellular trafficking.

Training and Development Opportunities: You will be trained in a variety of relevant techniques including advanced optical microscopy methods, fabrication of synthetic lipid membranes, and mammalian cell culture. You will develop the transferable skills of data analysis, communication and dissemination. The resulting skillset will boost your future employability both in academia and in industry. The supervisory team has strong links with companies, including microscope manufactures and image analysis software developers. Within this studentship, opportunities for visits/internships at these companies will arise. Global mobility opportunities will include visiting collaborating partner groups overseas, and participation to national/international conferences. The project will generate new knowledge and data that will be published in high quality journals.

Current supervision

Adam Cutts

Emma Bopp

Jonathan Osano

Alex Moger

Contact Details

[email protected]
+44 29208 79356
Sir Martin Evans Building, Room Cardiff School of Biosciences, The Sir Martin Evans Building, Museum Avenue, Cardiff, CF10 3AX, Museum Avenue, Cardiff, CF10 3AX

Dance inspired by laser microscopy goes on tour

Professor Paola Borri

Teams and roles for Paola Borri

Head of Molecular Biosciences Division

Overview

News

Publication

2024

2023

2022

2021

2020