Tech Exchange on super resolution with LIG Nanowise

Sebastien Villain from LIG Nanowise will present on “Super-Resolution Optical Imaging of Life Science Samples using SMAL Objective Lenses”.

Conventional optical microscopic imaging resolution has a theoretical limit of approximately 200 nm within the visible light spectrum due to the far-field diffraction limit. Thus, conventional optical microscopic imaging is not suitable for imaging subjects with structures smaller than this limit [1].
Most current optical systems for imaging small biological structures are invasive (using fluorescent dyes), destructive (e.g. transmission electron microscope) or rely on reconstructed images (i.e. not a real time imaging). LIG Nanowise designed and built a bio-microscope tailored around the SMAL® (Super-Resolution Microsphere Amplifying Lens) objective lens which overcomes these drawbacks. The SMAL® objective lens is a novel tool based on the microsphere imaging technology [2]. The novelty of the system is the ability to study cell’s structures and viruses previously not possible using conventional white light microscopy. In this work, along various tissues, several types of viruses were imaged such as coronavirus and encephalitis virus. The results are compared with images obtained using a high numerical aperture 100X oil immersion objective lens fitted onto a white light microscope, at the same location. The work demonstrates the potential of the microsphere assisted microscopy for high resolution imaging of in vivo biological structures and pathogens.

[1] Gray, N. Knowing the limit. Nat Cell Biol 11 (Suppl 1), S8 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1038/ncb1940

[2] Li, L., Guo, W., Yan, Y. et al. Label-free super-resolution imaging of adenoviruses by submerged microsphere optical nanoscopy. Light Sci Appl 2, e104 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/lsa.2013.60