Super-resolution imaging across the Biosciences

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Labelling specific objects in samples such as cells and tissues with a fluorescent dye, and then imaging them using a fluorescent microscope, is a tool that has revolutionised our ability to discover how proteins, DNA, RNA and other cellular structures are organised within cells and tissues. However, until recently, the ability to resolve the fine detail was limited to about 0.25 microns (approximately 300x smaller than the width of a human hair). This is because the amount of fine detail or 'resolution' depends on the wavelength of light and the so-called numerical aperture of the objective lens used to image the sample, two properties that cannot be altered beyond a fixed limit. However, about 20 or so years ago, new approaches to overcome this resolution barrier, collectively known as super-resolution imaging, started to be developed, leading to the award of the Nobel Prize to key developers of this technology (Hell, Moerner and Betzig) in 2014. Super-resolution imaging is rapidly becoming a key tool for researchers to uncover the fine detail of how objects are organised within cells, revealing new detail that we did not previously know existed. In this research, we want to open up a specific type of super-resolution imaging called 'single molecule localisation microscopy' to a wide range of researchers, by implementing a commercial system that is easy to use, multifunctional and can image in much great detail, almost 20x better than we can currently achieve with a standard fluorescence microscope. This new microscope will reveal new insight into protein organisation within cells and tissues across a range of research areas, from cancer to heart disease and blindness.