Prof. Ammasi Periasamy

A key area of my research is focused on the design and development of optical methodology including advanced light microscopy techniques to investigate/monitor exogenous and endogenous protein-protein interactions, in vivo/intravital imaging and monitoring the physical parameters of normal versus cancer tissues. I am the founder and center director of the W.M. Keck Center for Cellular Imaging (KCCI), an internationally known center in advanced optical and microscopy imaging, particularly in the area of protein-protein interactions in living and fixed specimens. We developed a 2- and 3-color steady state, and FLIM based Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) imaging system for protein localization in living specimens. We developed a PFRET software package for quantitative FRET data analysis to estimate the nanometer (1-10 nm) distance between the protein molecules in living/fixed cells and tissue for various light microscopy techniques for any combination of fluorophore pairs. Recently, we developed FLIRR method to estimate the metabolic redox ratio in tissue, animal and cells. I am one of the pioneers in developing lifetime imaging microscopy for intracellular calcium measurement and later I developed the same methodology for protein-protein interactions and cancer diagnosis. I have published over 135 articles in refereed journals and book chapters. I have given more than 150 invited lectures nationally and internationally. I have edited three books, Chairperson in organizing an annual International conference on Multiphoton Microscopy in the Biomedical Sciences through SPIE (since 2001) and runs a hands on training annual workshop on FRET Microscopy at the University of Virginia, Charlottesville during March (since 2002). I was elected “Fellow” members of the SPIE.