Navigation Links
Improving microscopy by following the astronomers' guide star
Date:2/17/2011

clearer view of the target. Today, adaptive optics instrumentation accompanies all of the world's major telescopes.

Unlike in astronomy, microscopists can't place a wavefront sensor within a live animal to directly measure the distortions of light deep within tissue. To get around this problem, Betzig reasoned that the perfect focus is nothing more than a bunch of rays converging from many different directions to the same identical point. The heterogeneity of tissue means that ray is deflected differently so they no longer meet at a single point. Betzig figured that if they could study the rays individually, they could correct their deflections and steer them back to a single focus.

For their 2009 study, Betzig and Ji buried fluorescent beads underneath thick slices of mouse brain. The beads act as guide stars to help measure the deflections of the rays. To do that, the pair use a one-inch display called a spatial light modulator. The display allows them to turn on one ray at a time and then take an image of the bead. They can then determine how much the ray is deflected from the amount the bead's image is shifted relative to the desired focal point. The display is then used like a small, tiltable mirror to steer the ray back to the focal point. The process is then repeated with each of the other rays. This strategy improves the fluorescent signal and recovers optimal resolution through a chunk of tissue up to 400 micrometers thick. "Another advantage is that it's very efficient in terms of how little light is needed," Betzig says. "Light is not completely noninvasive, so as microscopists we have to be very careful not to damage our specimens."

Ji, who will soon begin her own lab as a fellow at Janelia Farm, has recently taken the technique to the next level: live brain imaging in mice. To do this, she uses genetic engineering to label the brains of mouse fetuses with a fluorescent marker of neurons while at the same time injecting
'/>"/>

Contact: Andrea Widener
widenera@hhmi.org
301-215-8807
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Source:Eurekalert

0

GOOD

Page: 1 2 3 4

Related biology technology :

1. Iowa State, Ames Lab physicist developing, improving designer optical materials
2. 52-Week Phase 3 Study Found Investigational Drug Dapagliflozin Plus Metformin Similar to Glipizide Plus Metformin in Improving Glycosylated Hemoglobin (HbA1c) in Adults with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus
3. Caliper Owners Group Meeting Showcases Critical Role of Biopharma and Academic Researchers for Improving Healthcare and Quality of Life
4. Plant BioTech World Congress to Highlight Scientific Discoveries and Technologies Bringing New Hope to Feeding the World and Improving Lives
5. Elsevier Addresses Todays Healthcare Information Crisis With a Renewed Focus on Improving Quality and Efficiency
6. Soybean genome analysis reveals pathways for improving biodiesel
7. Nanomedicine Company Focuses on Improving Premature Infant Health and Reducing Death Rate
8. Improving Transfusion Safety: Fenwal, Verax Biomedical Sign Agreement for Rapid, Point-of-Care Bacteria Test
9. 2009: Immunotec announces important clinical research initiative: New study to be launched with the goal of improving the quality of the aging process
10. ClearTrial Industry Expert to Lead Session at DIA Annual Meeting on Improving Accrual and Contract Management in Clinical Trials
11. AARC Presentation Cites Masimo Patient SafetyNet as Key Factor in Improving Patient Outcomes and Reducing Costs in Post-Acute Care Facilities
Post Your Comments:
*Name:
*Comment:
*Email:
(Date:5/23/2013)... May 23, 2013 PI’s new ... and provide 15 mm travel range with closed-loop ... small dimensions make these new positioners the ideal ... A vacuum rated version is also available. ... and datasheets can be found at: , ...
(Date:5/23/2013)... On April 19th the Center for Disease ... the growing antibiotic resistant bacteria that may be lurking ... study were released late last month showing higher antibiotic ... years. For those suffering from bacteria driven acne, Probiotic ... in food, may eventually help breed acne causing bacteria. ...
(Date:5/23/2013)... , May 23, 2013  Verenium Corporation (Nasdaq: ... on the development and commercialization of high-performance enzymes, today ... Financial Officer, will present at two upcoming conferences. ... will present at the Second Annual Marcum LLP Microcap ... Hyatt Hotel in New York City.  The presentation is ...
(Date:5/23/2013)... 2013 Bed bugs already cost Alton Housing ... still ongoing, a report from kmov.com suggested that the said ... bug treatment. Meanwhile, to be of help, My Cleaning Products ... bed bug exterminator service. , The report, which ... so far spent $35,000 for bed bug elimination, ...
Breaking Biology Technology:Precision Positioning System Uses Miniaturezed Piezo Linear Motor: LPS-24 Linear Stage by PI 2Acne Cream, Probiotic Action Shares News on How Some Food may Breed Acne Causing Bacteria 2Verenium To Present At Two Upcoming Conferences 2Verenium To Present At Two Upcoming Conferences 3Bed Bug Exterminator Service Could Cost AHA $250K, My Cleaning Products Gives Tips How to Save Apartments from Costly Bed Bug Treatment 2
... ... Partners Validated to Process and Analyze Samples Collected with DNA Genotek Products , ... Ottawa, ON (PRWEB) November ... sample collection, stabilization and preparation, today announced its new global partner program. The program ...
... , SEATTLE, Nov. 24 Cell ... Annual Piper Jaffray Health Care Conference. The conference will be held December 1-2, ... on Tuesday, December 1 at 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time in Holmes 1 (4th ... www.celltherapeutics.com , and it will also be available for replay afterwards. , ...
... You can think of it as origami very ... have developed a technique for fabricating three-dimensional, single-crystalline silicon ... self-folding process driven by capillary interactions. , The films, ... is not possible with thicker pieces of the same ...
Cached Biology Technology:DNA Genotek Launches Global Partner Program 2DNA Genotek Launches Global Partner Program 3Water droplets direct self-assembly process in thin-film materials 2
(Date:5/23/2013)... prostate cancer patients unnecessarily undergo surgery or harsh ... between slow-growing and aggressive forms of the disease. ... Hopkins Medical Institutes are developing technology that allows ... for relatively mild treatments or take drastic measures. ... Madabhushi, an associate professor of biomedical engineering at ...
(Date:5/23/2013)... the interplay of brain chemicals which help us pay ... BBSRC. , By changing the way neurons respond ... these changes can affect the strength of a neuronal ... response. , Lead author Alex Thiele, Professor ... you can make yourself better heard by speaking louder ...
(Date:5/22/2013)... physicists have developed a novel technique that can detect ... process that is one of the most important, though ... in a paper in Nature , post-doctoral researcher ... Melanie Schnell of the Center for Free-Electron Laser Science ... on finely-tuned microwave fields to identify molecular variants apart, ...
Breaking Biology News(10 mins):Using big data to identify prostate cancers and best treatments 2Using big data to identify prostate cancers and best treatments 3Detecting mirror molecules 2Detecting mirror molecules 3
... A Mediterranean diet may help people avoid the small areas ... memory, according to a study released today that will be presented ... April 10 to April 17, 2010. The study found ... have brain infarcts, or small areas of dead tissue linked to ...
... , NEW YORK , ... Scott Brown in Massachusetts resulting in the ... reform with the promise of universal coverage for the majority of ... Research.  President Obama recently noted the country is closer than it ...
... Researchers with the National Cancer Institute (NCI) have found that ... cancer among women without a personal history of breast cancer ... of developing breast cancer in women who are at increased ... published in the February issue of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers ...
Cached Biology News:Mediterranean diet may lower risk of brain damage that causes thinking problems 2S&P Equity Research; Health Care Reform After The Buzzsaw - Where Are We Now? 2S&P Equity Research; Health Care Reform After The Buzzsaw - Where Are We Now? 3S&P Equity Research; Health Care Reform After The Buzzsaw - Where Are We Now? 4S&P Equity Research; Health Care Reform After The Buzzsaw - Where Are We Now? 5S&P Equity Research; Health Care Reform After The Buzzsaw - Where Are We Now? 6S&P Equity Research; Health Care Reform After The Buzzsaw - Where Are We Now? 7S&P Equity Research; Health Care Reform After The Buzzsaw - Where Are We Now? 8S&P Equity Research; Health Care Reform After The Buzzsaw - Where Are We Now? 9Few women take tamoxifen to prevent breast cancer 2
... pen has been designed to provide a thin film-like ... on a slide. This barrier creates the proper ... target area on the slide. PAP Pen contains ... acetone. It can be removed, if desired, by ...
... Signets FAST RED Chromogen System consists ... FAST RED reacts in the presence of ... minimal background noise. The FAST RED ... ,The System Contains: , , Vial ...
... F10 tubing kit provides high-pressure tubing ... system and other chromatography systems. The ... Tefzel, and orange PEEK tubing for ... basic chromatography system running at flow ...
... Miscellaneous: Versatile stain for staining RNA (bluish-purple), DNA ... Assay: TLC ≥ 90 % Cation traces: Ca ... 5 mg/kg Cr ≤ 5 mg/kg Cu ≤ 5 ... Mg ≤ 5 mg/kg Mn ≤ 5 mg/kg Na ...
Biology Products: