Nature-Inspired Molecular Tools for Super-Resolution Microscopy

• Grant number: 25/05811-4
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Doctorate
• Start date: August 04, 2025
• End date: August 03, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Chemistry - Organic Chemistry
• Principal Investigator: Erick Leite Bastos
• Grantee: Nicaely Maria de Oliveira Pereira
• Supervisor: Gonzalo Cosa
• Host Institution: Instituto de Química (IQ). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: McGill University, Canada
• Associated to the scholarship: 23/11500-6 - Development of silica-betalain coloring additives, BP.DR

Abstract

This Research Internship Abroad (RIA) Project aims to explore the use of pseudo-natural betalains and their derived materials as innovative tools for single-molecule localization microscopy (SMLM). Leveraging the reducing and fluorescent properties of these bio-based dyes, we seek to address the limitations of conventional fluorophores, which often lack biocompatibility and sustainability. Over the course of one year, a library of betalains and betalain-containing nanostructured materials will be studied at the laboratory of Prof. Gonzalo Cosa at McGill University in Montreal, Canada. We expect the results to deepen our understanding of the excited-state properties of betalains, enhance the capabilities of SMLM, and lay the groundwork for developing probes suitable for correlative super-resolution fluorescence and cryo-electron microscopy (Cryo-CLEM). (AU)