Alberto Diaspro was born in Genoa, Italy, on April 7, 1959. He received is doctoral degree in electronic engineering from the University of Genoa, Italy, in 1983. He is University Professor in the Applied Physics Area. He is Head of the Nanophysics Unit of the Italian Institute of Technology.
AD is member of the University advisory Commitee for PhD Courses in Biotechnology (University of Genoa) and Medical Nanotechnology (University of Milan). AD has collaborations with IFOM - FIRC Oncology Institute, Milan, the Institute of Biophysics of the National Research Council (CNR) and NBT-IIT, Italian Institute of Technology. AD founded LAMBS (Laboratory for Advanced Microscopy, Bioimaging and Spectroscopy, www.lambs.it). AD is author of more than 170 international ISI publications. He is the President of OWLS (Optics With Life Sciences) and ICO (International Commission of Optics) representative.
AD was the President Elect of EBSA (European Biophysical Societies' Association, www.ebsa.org) and founder of the Biophysical Society Nanoscale Biophysics subgroup, www.biophyscs.org. AD is active memeber of OSA, SPIE, SIF (Italian Physical Society, www.sif.it). AD has been invited as speaker to more than 200 international conferences. Recently he was the co-organizer of a World Conference on Microscopy, FOM2003, SIF 2008 (Italian Physical Society) and of EBSA 2009 (www.ebsa2009.org). He was visiting scientist at Drexel University, Philadelphia, USA, Universidad Autonoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain, Academy of Sciences of Czech Rpeublic, Polytechnich University of Bucharest, Romania, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, USA.
Microscopy skills
- Confocal and Multiphoton Microscopy, i.e., FRAP, FRET, SHG, lifetime imaging, spectral fingerprint, single molecule detection, colocalization, 3D/4D.
- Live imaging down to molecular resolution, single molecule/particle tracking with 5-10 nm accuray, 100-40 nm resolution, single molecule sensitivity, Nanoscopy - FCS, TIRF, STED/PALM, IML-SPIM (Individual Molecule Localization - Selective Plane Illumination Microscopy).
- 4D (x, y, z, t) particle tracking, fast scanning modes - 100 fps, 512x512 pixel, photoactivatable fluo markers - paGFP, other fluo probes.
- Active optical microscopy molecular 3D/4D uncaging and events follow up.
- Deep imaging towards small animal live imaging, depth penetration, 0.5-1 mm.
- Integration with electrophysiological data, multimodal platform for simultaneous imaging and data analysis.
- Implementation of a deconvolution and image processing platform powermicroscope - friendly remote web access, correlative microscopy vs. TEM, SEM, AFM.
Diaspro experience is related with the design, realization and utilization of biophysical instrumentation as conventional and confocal microscopy, two-photon fluorescence microscopy and spectroscopy architecture, differential scanning calorimetry, scanning probe microscopy (STM, SNOM, AFM), polarized light scattering, signal and image digital processing. At Diaspro Lab was realised the first italian two-photon excitation architecture for microscopy and spectroscopy with extension to single molecule imaging. As well a nanotechnological approach for the realization of Nanobiorobot, hybrid nanostructured devices made by living cells and polylelctrolyte layers, has been recently developed. Diaspro is currently involved in the design and realization of the first italian Nanoscopy architecture.
