STED – A STimulated Emission Depletion microscope for 4D live nanoscopy

Recent developments in super-resolution microscopy coupled to the increase of available genetically encoded fluorescent molecules have provided powerful tools for sub-cellular investigations at the nanoscale in living cells and tissues. However, the time resolution of currently implemented methods prohibits the recording of fast dynamics in 3D and/or quantitative measurements on moving structures of interest.

This project aims at disseminating cutting-edge developments in Stimulated Emission Depletion (STED) microscopy and enabling at the same time the first access to 4D (3D space + time) quantitative sub-diffraction imaging of fast live-cell dynamics.

The competitive advantage of the proposed instrument, merging the unique 2D quad- scanner technology of the commercial Abberior Instruments STED microscope and the published “remote focusing” method, will be demonstrated by unlocking 4 biology projects for which the access to 4D super-resolution imaging is of paramount importance.