3D Superresolution Imaging with Full-field Structured Stimulated Emission Depletion

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Date/Time:Monday, 06 Mar 2017 from 4:10 pm to 5:00 pm
Location:Phys 0003
Phone:515-294-5441
Channel:College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
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Leilei Peng, University of Arizona

Abstract: Fluorescence microscopy has long been an essential tool for studying cell structure and function. Various superresolution microscopy methods, which offer resolution surpasses the diffraction limit of resolution, have become faster and safer for live imaging. Nonlinear Structured-Illumination Microscopy (NSIM) refers to a group of full-field superresolution imaging methods that operate under the principle of NSIM, which predicts any non-polynomial effect on either the fluorophore or fluorescence emission can be the vehicle to achieve unlimited resolution. We developed a new nonlinear structured illumination (NSIM) microscopy method that utilizes a weak full-field structured stimulated emission depletion (STED) effect to perform 3D superresolution imaging under epi-fluorescence excitation. Despite the weak nonlinear effect, STED NSIM demonstrated superior resolution, 3D imaging applicability, and robust performance (ranging from single molecules to dense structures). Experimentally, the STED NSIM microscope reached a lateral resolution of 53 nm at a far-red wavelength, which is further away from the diffraction limit that previous NSIM records, and demonstrated super z-section imaging of cytoskeletal structures under the epi-fluorescence excitation. Results further demonstrated STED NSIM can truthfully image single molecules at full resolution, and produce artifact-free images of a variety of structures ranging from single molecules to dense 3D cellular structures under identical experimental settings. Due to it compatibility with commonly used fluorophores and low light intensity, STED NSIM can be a powerful tool for multi-color 3D imaging of biological samples beyond the diffraction limit.

Bio: Leilei Peng is currently an Associate Professor in the College of Optical Sciences, University of Arizona. She received her PhD in Physics from Purdue University in 2005. She then spent 4 years on postdoc training in the Wellman Center for Photomedicine, Harvard Medical School before becoming an Assistant professor at the University of Arizona. Her research focuses on developing novel methods in three areas: multiplexed lifetime fluorescence microscopy, deep tissue imaging and superresolution microscopy (the topic of this colloquium).