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Shining Light on Biology: Fluorescence Microscopy Down to Angstroms

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Friday, September 15, 2023 11am to 12pm

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Friday, September 15, 2023 11am to 12pm

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The ability to visualize cellular components, their arrangements and dynamic behavior makes fluorescence microscopy an indispensable tool for gaining insight into biological processes. Limited by the nature of light in its achievable resolution, fluorescence microscopy was confined to organelle-level detail until the advent of super-resolution microscopy, which paved the way for investigations down to the tens of nanometer scale. By combining the strengths of single molecule switching (as used in PALM/STORM) and the stimulated emission depletion (STED) approach, MINSTED achieves localization precisions in the Angstrom range. Together with the related technique MINFLUX, MINSTED opens the door to study biological specimens at scales previously accessible only by electron microscopy under physiological conditions or even in living specimens.

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