Seminars > May 2026

Wenesday, May 6, 2026 @ 11h15
Faculté de Médecine, 28 Avenue de Valombrose, 06107 Nice - Amphithéatre 3

Olivier Mercey
Centriole Lab
University of Geneva
Switzerland

Expansion Microscopy, From molecular details to disease insights

Abstract: Understanding biological processes at the subcellular level has become essential to decipher complex cellular functions and disease mechanisms. However, conventional imaging techniques are limited by resolution, while super-resolution approaches require costly instrumentation and specialized expertise. Expansion microscopy (ExM) offers a powerful and accessible alternative by physically enlarging biological samples, enabling nanoscale imaging with standard microscopes. This approach is cost-effective, rapid, and broadly applicable across diverse sample types. In our laboratory, we developed three expansion microscopy protocols (Ultrastructure ExM, Cryo-ExM, and iterative U-ExM) optimized across a broad range of sample types. These advances enabled the establishment of the first dedicated ExM facility. Using ExM, we uncovered molecular mechanisms in retinopathy subtypes and resolved the nanoscale architecture of T cells, notably in human brain tumors.  Together, these studies highlight how ExM combines accessibility with high-resolution insight into disease biology, opening new possibilities for analyzing clinical samples at subcellular resolution.