How It Works: Patterned illumination to Study Protein Phase Separation in Living Cells with Optogenetics

Asymmetric distribution of determinants is an important mechanism for patterning cells and embryos throughout development. Whether it is the polarized localization of PAR proteins, or RNA and protein granules, the spatial anisotropy of specific molecules within cells can lead to different cell behaviours and cell fate determination. Many biochemical networks...

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Congrats to Video/Photo Award Winner: Elliot Dine from Princeton University!

Congratulations to our recent Video/Photo award winner Elliot Dine (Princeton University) from Jared Toettcher's lab! You can find out more about Elliot's work below and how he uses the Polygon400 Pattern Illuminator in his research. You can read more about this work in their recently published paper in Cell Systems...

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How it Works: Targeted Optogenetic Stimulation of Cholingeric Fibers in the Hippocampus

The basal forebrain is the one of the main sites of acetylcholine (ACh) production, projecting to various regions throughout the brain. The cholinergic system has been shown to contribute to important cognitive processes, such as attention and memory. Previous findings suggest that basal forebrain projections form non-synaptic connections...

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New Mightex Trainee Awards!

Mightex developed Trainee Awards to contribute to the scientific community by supporting and acknowledging the work of students performing research that is advancing the fields of neuroscience, cell biology, and many more. Mightex Trainee Awards, such as travel grants, student research awards, and others, are in place to support the...

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Come Visit Mightex at FENS 2018 in Berlin, Germany (Booth #142)!

FENS 2018 (July 7-11th) in Berlin, Germany is approaching fast and Mightex will be attending (booth #142). Mightex will have live demos of their Polygon400 patterned illuminator for targeted optogenetic stimulation, as well as their OASIS Implant for freely-behaving targeted optogenetics and calcium imaging. There will be plenty of interesting talks...

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How it Works: Targeted Optogenetic Control of Microtubule-binding Proteins

Cellular architecture and behaviour is largely dependent on the organization and dynamics of the microtubule cytoskeleton. Coordination of microtubules inside cells are regulated by diverse microtubule-binding proteins, which in turn recruit effector proteins that control microtubule growth. A recently published paper in Nature Cell Biology from Torsten Wittman’s lab at...

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New Application Note! Microscopic Setup for Simultaneous Optogenetics and Electrophysiology.

This new application note by Matthew Tran from Blake Richards's lab at the University of Toronto details a dual magnification setup optimized for the combination of both visually guided whole-cell patch-clamping at high magnification and targeted optogenetic stimulation at low magnification. This application note solves the mismatch between the magnification required...

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Our New White Paper on Optogenetics in Cell Biology!

Optogenetic approaches in cell biology applications are becoming more and more ubiquitous as molecular toolkits expand. However, identifying which pattern illumination technologies to use with them may be challenging. This white paper provides an overview of the molecular probes available to the cell biologist and how they have been applied in...

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