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Tool development for STED imaging

We're on a mission to pioneer novel strategies and tools for super-resolution imaging in brain tissue, all with an emphasis on simplicity and accessibility

1. Tissue Preparation

Intricacies of brain tissue make it challenging to image small structures like synapses at the nanoscale:

  • Resolution decreases with tissue thickness

  • High lipid content enables light scattering

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We undertake tissue clearing and thin cryosectioning approaches to advance tissue preparation for STED 

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 2. Nanobodies and other reagents

Antibodies are large reagents whose access to antigens in the brain is reduced by:

  • Densely packed neuropil

  • Highly proteinaceous material of active zones and PSDs

 

Nanobodies are significantly smaller than antibodies and thus can more efficiently label molecules at synapses. Because of their small size, nanobodies can outperform antibodies in obtaining sub-diffraction resolution. We believe that nanobodies or similar reagents are needed for efficient in situ STED imaging.

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