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Updated: Jan 22, 2026

Author Spotlight: Understanding the Impact of Pathological Proteins on Axonal Transport in Neurodegenerative Diseases
Published on: December 22, 2023
Live Imaging of ESCRT Proteins in Microfluidically Isolated Hippocampal Axons
Veronica Birdsall1, Jose C Martinez2, Lisa Randolph1
1Neurobiology and Behavior PhD Program, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.
Abstract:
Live imaging of microfluidically isolated axons permits study of the dynamic behavior of fluorescently tagged proteins and vesicles in these neuronal processes. We use this technique to study the motility and transport of ESCRT proteins in axons of primary hippocampal neurons. This chapter details the preparation of microfluidic chambers, as well as the seeding, fluidic isolation, and lentiviral transduction of hippocampal neurons in these chambers, optimized for the study of ESCRT protein dynamics.
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