Research profile Dr. Rainer Kurre

The Kurre group develops tailored high-resolution fluorescence microscopy methods for biological imaging. The great success of fluorescence microscopy is based on the fact that biological processes can be followed and quantitatively analyzed down to the level of individual molecules in living cells and organisms. However, every microscopy technique requires a compromise between spatial and temporal resolution and must be adapted to new biological questions. To this end, we are constantly developing new microscopy techniques and quantitative analysis methods.

Research topics

• Development of super-resolution methods based on single molecule imaging,
• Live-cell imaging using structured illumination microscopy and lattice light-sheet microscopy,
• Establishment and development of (AI-based) image processing tools,
• Customized microscopy systems for nanoparticle imaging (up conversion NPs, harmonic NPs).

Methods

• total internal reflection fluorescence (TIRF) microscopy
• Structured illumination microscopy (SIM)
• Lattice light-sheet microscopy (LLSM)
• Fluorescence lifetime imaging (FLIM)
• Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET)
• Correlative light and electron microscopy (CLEM)

Selected publications

• Winkelmann H, Richter CP, Eising J, Piehler J, Kurre R (2024):  Correlative single-molecule and structured illumination microscopy of fast dynamics at the plasma membrane. Nat Commun 15.
• Holtmannspötter M, Wienbeuker E, Dellmann T, Watrinet I, Garcia-Sáez AJ, Johnsson K, Kurre R, Piehler J (2023):  Reversible Live-Cell Labeling with Retro-engineered HaloTags Enables Long-Term High- and Super-Resolution Imaging. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 62(18).
• Sotolongo Bellón J, Birkholz O, Richter CP, Eull F, Kenneweg H, Wilmes S, Rothbauer U, You C, Walter MR, Kurre R, Piehler J (2022):  Four-color single-molecule imaging with engineered tags resolves the molecular architecture of signaling complexes in the plasma membrane. Cell Rep Methods 2(2).