About Thomas Deerinck , Photomicrographer

Thomas Deerinck has worked as a scientist for nearly 30 years at the National Center for Microscopy and Imaging Research at the University of California, San Diego under the tutelage of Mark H. Ellisman and specializes in confocal, 2-photon and electron microscopic imaging of biological specimens.

He has co-authored over 100 scientific papers, abstracts and book chapters and his work has appeared in such prestigious scientific journals as Nature, Science, and Cell. In addition, his images have been featured in museum shows and on the covers of numerous scientific journals.

For more information Thomas can be reached at deerinck@ncmir.ucsd.edu.

Images at www.microscopy.info

The first three images represent a significant advancement in fluorescence imaging of proteins in tissues in that two of the target proteins shown here (actin and laminin) were localized using Quantum dots, a commercial byproduct of nanotechnology.

Quantum dots are solid-state semiconductor nanocrystals composed of cadmium selenide with a capping layer of zinc sulfide and have a number of unique properties that make them advantageous for fluorescence microscopy. These properties include very high fluorescence brightness and photostability, long apparent Stoke’s shifts, and narrow-band fluorescence emission. Only recently have high quality secondary antibody conjugates of Quantum dots become commercially available and the immunolabeling parameters been optimized.

Quantum dot fluorescence image of mouse small intestine, Fluorescence (2-photon)
Quantum dot fluorescence image of mouse kidney section (240x). Fluorescence (2-photon) . Second Place, Nikon Small World 2005 Competition.
Quantum dot fluorescence image of mouse small intestine, Fluorescence (2-photon). Eight Place Nikon Small World 2005 Competition
Glial cells, rat brain.

More Awards and links

• Fourth Place, Nikons Small World 2003 Competition
• First Place, Nikons Small World 2002 Competition
• Nikon featured microscopists.