Advanced Immunocytochemistry, In Situ Hybridization and Live Cell Imaging -- October 20-November 2, 2003 The Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory proposes to continue a course entitled Advanced Immunocytochemistry, In Situ Hybridization and Live Cell Imaging (previously called """"""""Advanced In Situ Hybridization and Immunocytochemistry""""""""), to be held in the Fall of 2003-2007. This is a short, two-week, intensive course which trains students (ranging from graduate students to Principal Investigators) to enter directly into research that makes use of advanced and/or specialized techniques in microscopy to localize nucleic acids and proteins as well as to provide background on the biochemical concepts underlying these techniques. The techniques will be used to characterize copy number changes of oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes on the DNA-level, and to analyze the cellular distribution and the expression status of mRNAs and proteins relevant to human carcinogenesis (such as proliferation markers and tumor suppressor gene products) as well as to the pathogenesis of other human diseases. The course will enable students to gain firsthand experience in localizing genes, chromosomes, mRNAs and proteins, by immunocytochemistry and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), performing spectral karyotyping of human chromosomes, comparing the genomes of normal versus tumor samples by comparative genomic hybridization (CGH), preparing labeled antibodies for immunolocalization, preparing labeled nucleic acid probes for FISH, working with GFP-fusion proteins for localizing, quantifying, and analyzing proteins in living cells using standard fluorescence, photobleaching, and resonance energy transfer, performing experiments using different antigen-antibody systems (fluorescence, enzymatic, colloidal gold), as well as examining cells using different state-of-the-art microscopic systems (epifluorescence microscopy, confocal laser scanning microscopy, deconvolution microscopy). The course is taught by internationally recognized leaders in the field who provide hands-on training. Lecturers are invited who give up-to-the-minute reports on current research.
