Nanometer Resolution Spectral Self-interference Fluorescence Microscopy

纳米分辨率光谱自干涉荧光显微镜波士顿大学的安娜·斯旺博士及其合作者获得了一笔赠款，用于开发光谱自干涉荧光显微镜，这是一种能够在20 nm以下范围内进行光学分辨的新技术。与共焦荧光显微镜相比，其中通过在样品中的不同水平处聚焦来实现深度分辨率，并且轴向分辨率为~1微米，光谱自干涉将实现50倍或更好的轴向分辨率的改善。该赠款为仪器开发提供资金，以创建一个平台来执行光谱自干涉显微镜。它将包括显微镜、光谱仪、激光器、相关光学器件、控制、数据采集和数据反演，以及专门设计和制造的微镜和定位器，以扫描驻波并控制发射干扰。该仪器将是一个独立的，用户友好的系统，并将用于检查各种生物系统的亚细胞动力学。纵观生物和医学科学的历史，成像技术的进步导致了理解的革命性进步。理解生命机制的下一次重大革命将发生在有可能观察活生物体内的实时分子活动时。虽然纳米级分辨率通常在各种显微镜技术中实现，包括扫描探针、电子和离子束以及单分子或珠显微镜，但这些技术都不能提供活生物体内的三维细胞内分子成像。自干涉荧光显微镜可以提供必要的分辨率，本项目将开发仪器和分析，使其成为亚细胞功能生物学的通用和广泛有用的工具。

Nanometer Resolution Spectral Self-interference Fluorescence MicroscopyA grant has been awarded to Dr. Anna Swan and collaborators at Boston University to develop spectral self-interference fluorescent microscopy, a new technique capable of optically resolving in the sub-20 nm range. In comparison to confocal fluorescence microscopy, where depth resolution is achieved by focusing at different levels in the sample and the axial resolution is ~1 micron, spectral self-interference will achieve an improvement by a factor of 50 or better axial resolution. The grant provides funds for instrumentation development to create a platform to perform the spectral self-interference microscopy. It will consist of a microscope, spectrometer, laser, associated optics, control, data acquisition and data inversion, as well as specially designed and fabricated micromirrors and positioners to scan the standing wave and control the emission interference. The developed instrument will be a stand-alone, user-friendly system, and will be used to examine subcellular dynamics in a variety of biological systems.Throughout the history of biological and medical sciences, advances in imaging have lead to revolutionary advances in understanding. The next great revolution in understanding the mechanisms of life will occur when it is possible to observe real-time molecular activity within living organisms. While nanoscale resolution is routinely achieved in a variety of microscopic techniques including scanned probe, electron and ion beam, and single molecule or bead microscopy, none of these techniques can provide three-dimensional intracellular molecular imaging within living organisms. Self-interference fluorescent microscopy can provide the resolution necessary, and this project will develop the instrumentation and analysis to make it a versatile and widely useful tool for sub-cellular functional biology.