Dynamic ratiometric imaging of Ca²⁺ with new fast switching excitation LED...

Dynamic ratiometric imaging of Ca²⁺ with new LED excitation light source that offers fast switching and high stability

Manoop Chenchiliyan and his colleagues at Bar-Ilan University in Israel use calcium imaging to study the intracellular concentration of free ionized calcium (Ca²⁺). Ca²⁺ plays a key role in triggering a range of cellular events such as the contractile activity of muscle cells, neurotransmitter release, and oocyte fertilization.

“Understanding the spatial-temporal characteristics of Ca2+ signals are critically important in gaining the knowledge of the physiological regulations of the biological systems, which would provide new leads for pharmacological approaches,” said Chenchiliyan.

In a recent paper, the researchers demonstrated a new excitation light source that uses Prizmatix LEDs featuring high stability and fast switching to precisely match the excitation spectra of the commonly used Fura-2 Ca²⁺ indicator.