Super-resolution microscope based on stochastic optical reconstruction microscopy (STORM)

传统的光学显微镜不能看到细胞内部的一切。如果两个物体靠得太近，它们在显微镜下看起来就像一个点。科学家需要物体之间的最小距离才能区分它们。这个最小距离定义了显微镜的“分辨率极限”。不幸的是，许多研究人员感兴趣的现象发生在分辨率极限以下。在这些情况下，科学家无法确定(A)两个物体之间的距离有多远，(B)点内有多少个物体，以及(C)这些物体是否足够近，可以相互接触。显微镜技术的最新进展现在使科学家能够打破分辨率限制，区分细胞中非常接近的物体。这项被称为“超分辨率显微镜”的技术使科学家能够对细胞的内部工作进行新颖、突破性的观察，从而有可能给生物医学研究带来革命性的变化。这笔赠款将用于购买研究工具和仪器，用于在麦吉尔大学开发超分辨率显微镜，其具体目标是能够观察脑细胞和细胞分裂过程中的内部工作。

Conventional light microscopes cannot see everything inside of a cell. If two objects are too close to one another, they appear as a single point under the microscope. Scientists need a certain minimum distance between objects in order to tell them apart. This minimum distance defines the "resolution limit" of the microscope. Unfortunately, many phenomena of interest to researchers occur below the resolution limit. In these cases, scientists cannot determine (a) how far apart two objects are from one another, (b) how many objects are within the point, and (c) if the objects are close enough to be in physical contact with one another. Recent advances in microscope technology now enable scientists to break the resolution limit and distinguish objects in cells that are very close together. This technology, known as "super-resolution microscopy," has the potential to revolutionize biomedical research by enabling scientists to make novel, breakthrough observations of the inner workings of cells. This grant will fund the purchase of research tools and instrumentation for the development of super-resolution microscopy at McGill University, with the specific goal of enabling observations of the inner workings of cells of the brain and cells undergoing cell division.