Video: New Microscopy Method Can Shoot Real-Time Footage at the Subcellular Level
SRS Microscopy Stimulated Ramen scattering microscopy relies on detecting the intrinsic vibrations in chemical bonds between atoms, an as such requires no fluorescent or chemical labeling to image the very, very small. Structural components of tissue such as lipids (CH2-vibration, red), proteins (CH3-vibration, green), and water (OH-vibration, blue) can be imaged in real time, creating highly detailed, small-scale videos. Image courtesy of Dr. Brian Saar and Christian Freudiger. A new kind of biomedical imaging developed at Harvard is allowing researchers to capture video at scales never before seen, allowing for streaming footage at the subcellular level. The new technique, based on stimulated Raman scattering (SRS), can capture video of red blood cells squeezing through capillaries. The technique, with its unprecedented speed and precision, will make for a nice complement to MRI, which captures fantastically detailed static images of organs and other tissues deep within the body but isn't great for capturing unfolding...