Keyence Fluorescene Microscope Projects
Melissa Petreaca (former co-PI, BBIC) is a cell biologist focusing on the regulation of inflammation initiation and resolution. The goal of her recent research is to Projects using primarily the Keyence fluorescence microscope; Petreaca Lab Former DPU professor Melissa Petreaca (former co-PI, BBIC) is a cell biologist focusing on the regulation of inflammation initiation and resolution. The goal of her recent research is to understand how specific molecules regulate the production of neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs), chromatin-based structures released from inflammatory cells called neutrophils that bind potential pathogens and help kill them. Dr. Petreaca spent her pre-tenure leave in spring 2019 working with two of her research students, Riley Cooney (DPU ‘20, now a Master’s student ) and current DePauw student Layla Ahmadi to quantify and visualize the formation of these NETs in response to various stimuli with and without potential regulators of NET production. To do so, they stained the NETs with specific dyes, and then used the Keyence microscope located in the BBIC to visualize the NETs. Layla Ahmadi presented some of this work in a poster presentation during the Indiana Physiological Society annual meeting in spring 2019, and Riley Cooney presented this work during the annual meeting of the American Society for Cell Biology in December 2019.