High-Speed Resolution of Vesicle Fusion Events in Living Membranes

Understanding how neurotransmitters and hormones are released into the body is essential in understanding the pathology of secretory diseases such as diabetes.

Vesicles containing these molecules fuse with the inner membrane of a secretory cell to release their contents in a process known as exocytosis. Using the right equipment these fusion events can be detected as a change in the electrical properties of the cell.

This seminar will cover cell signalling, how electrophysiology can be used to detect vesicle fusion, and current progress towards using this technique to study the roles of voltage-gated calcium channels in secretion.