Recently, researchers at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Germany, have developed a super-resolution microscopy method that can rapidly differentiate molecular structures in 3D. This study is available in Light Science and Applications.
Just some years ago, a resolution limit in optical microscopy that appeared essential was broken, which resulted in the award of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2014.
Using a smartphone-based microscope for detecting single molecules and diagnosing diseases
Biomarkers play a central role in the diagnosis of disease and assessment of its course. Among the markers now in use are genes, proteins, hormones, lipids and other classes of molecules. Biomarkers can be found in the blood, in cerebrospinal fluid, urine and various types of tissues, but most of them have one thing in common: They occur in extremely low concentrations, and are therefore technically challenging to detect and quantify.
Many detection procedures use molecular probes, such as antibodies or short nucleic-acid sequences, which are designed to bind to specific biomarkers. When a probe recognizes and binds to its target, chemical or physical reactions give rise to fluorescence signals. Such methods work well, provided they are sensitive enough to recognize the relevant biomarker in a high percentage of all patients who carry it in their blood.