New Lattice Light-Sheet Microscope: 3-D View into Cells


lattice light sheet microscope demonstrates imaging of cancer cell moves through fibersEric Betzig and his research team at Janelia,  have created a new lattice light-sheet microscope that allows better imaging and viewing of cells, even internal imaging of the cells rapid movements.

Lattice light sheet microscope uses a thin sheet of patterned light to peer inside single living cells, revealing the three-dimensional shapes of cellular landmarks in unprecedented detail. The microscope images at high speed, so researchers can create dazzling movies that make biological processes, such as cell division, come alive.(HHMI.org)

The microscope throughout its development has established the numerous advantages of the lattice-light sheet microscopy compared to previous technique capabilities in other microscopes. The team stated that with the increased ability to see such great detail in a less destructive way is a key advantage. They team believes that with this new technology, could lead to new discoveries of biological mechanisms that we currently know nothing about. (ScienceNews)

This breakthrough in microscopy offers scientists a better way to view inside the center of cells without the destructive  effects on the organisms themselves by being damaged or tainted by the harmful affects of photobleaching or phototoxicity.

Photobleaching is  the photochemical destruction of a dye or a fluorophore.  In microscopy, photobleaching may complicate the observation of fluorescent molecules, since they will eventually be destroyed by the light exposure necessary to stimulate them into fluorescing.(Photobleaching)

Phototoxicity often occurs upon repeated exposure of fluorescently-labeled cells to illumination from lasers and high-intensity arc-discharge lamps. In their excited state, fluorescent molecules tend to react with molecular oxygen to produce free radicals that can damage sub cellular components and compromise the entire cell. (Nikon)

This has been an reaccuring problem for many researchers over the years, causing specimens to be ruined and/or research to  be limited. The new lattice-light sheet microscope allows further inspection without the risk of damage to the cell itself.

Lattice-Light Sheet Microscopy in Action:

A human leukemia cell (marked with a fluorescent green tag) squeezes through a spiny tangle of gel-like protein (orange) in a movie scientists made using a new microscopy technique.

Video Retrieved from ScienceNews.org. Credit: Betzig Lab/HHMI.

 


 

New microscope gives clear view inside cells

http://www.hhmi.org/news/providing-broader-access-leading-edge-imaging-technologies-janelia

http://www.microscopyu.com/references/phototoxicity.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photobleaching