PoET

PoET automates measurement of pore edge tension in giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs) from microscopy images to quantify pore dynamics.

Key Features:

• Automation of image processing: PoET automates analysis of micrometer-sized pores within GUVs across hundreds to thousands of microscopy images.
• Time efficiency: PoET reduces analysis time by approximately 30-fold compared to manual approaches.
• Standardized analysis across imaging systems: PoET minimizes discrepancies arising from different imaging systems and operators through standardized analysis.
• Applicability to multiple pore formation methods: While demonstrated on electroporated GUVs, PoET is applicable to pores formed by other mechanisms.
• Quantitative characterization of membrane properties: PoET measures pore edge tension across different GUV compositions and surface charges to inform membrane biophysics.
• Implementation: PoET is implemented in Python.

Scientific Applications:

• Pore edge tension measurement in GUVs: Quantify pore edge tension from pore dynamics in giant unilamellar vesicles.
• Comparative membrane biophysics: Compare pore edge tension across lipid compositions and varying surface charges.
• Analysis of electroporation and other pore formation mechanisms: Characterize pore dynamics resulting from electroporation and alternative pore-inducing methods.
• High-throughput pore dynamics studies: Enable analysis of hundreds to thousands of pore events from microscopy image sets for statistical studies.

Methodology:

Automated image processing algorithms detect and analyze micrometer-sized pores in GUVs across hundreds to thousands of images and characterize pore dynamics to extract pore edge tension; the software is implemented in Python.