The Cell Engineering group is devoted to the development of novel reporters and sensors for innovative optical imaging methods like optoacoustic imaging or super-resolution fluorescence microscopy.
Our main focus is on genetically encoded contrast agents since only such agents allow longitudinal and unperturbed imaging in live cells and research animal to truly understand biology and diseases contexts.
To develop novel genetically encoded tools we use protein engineering concepts that incorporate knowledge from photo-physical studies, protein structures and computational protein design and combine those insights with efficient screening concepts to identify novel reporters or sensors for the next pressing questions in imaging biology.