MicroscopyInnovations
2021 Microscopy Today Innovation Awards Charles Lyman, Senior Editor
Te editors of Microscopy Today congratulate the winners of the twelſth Microscopy Today Innovation Awards competition. Te ten innovations described below advance microscopy in the areas of
light
microscopy, electron microscopy, scanning probe microscopy, and microanalysis. Tese innovations will make microscopy more powerful, more productive, and easier to accomplish.
NanoRacer High-Speed AFM Bruker Nano GmbH Developers: Tilo Jankowski, Detlef Knebel, and Torsten Jähnke Te NanoRacer high-speed
atomic force microscope (AFM) has a video rate scanning speed of 50 frames/sec. Te 5 kHz line- rate scanning is more than three orders of magnitude faster than typical AFM instruments. High-
precision electronics and enhanced accuracy of position- ing sensors enable closed-loop sample scanning on all three axes. Tese factors contribute to reduction of driſt, enable routine observation of atomic defects, and reach resolution at sub-molecular levels. Surveying molecular events with a temporal resolution of 20 ms is possible with an 8 MHz band- width detector. Scan speed limitations were reduced using high-bandwidth processing electronics, a custom high-speed power amplifier, and advanced algorithms for scanner con- trol and feedback loop error correction. Dynamic propor- tional-integral-derivative (PID) control eliminates feedback saturation errors, improves the tip-sample force control, and ensures stable successive imaging on soſt and fragile sam- ples. Fully automated alignment and calibration ensure fast cantilever drive and minimal perturbance of delicate sam- ples. Laser excitation in the near-infrared range is optional for photosensitive and thermally unstable samples. Fast electronics and advanced algorithms ensure short feedback response times for the high-resonance 180 kHz z-scanner, typically faster than the cantilever resonance. Tese technological improvements allow real-time visual-
ization of dynamic processes taking place on the millisecond scale, enabling researchers to gain better understanding of complex biological systems and molecular mechanisms. New
12 doi:10.1017/S1551929521001085
workflow-based soſtware, suitable for multi-user environ- ments, produces higher throughput and allows more experi- ments per day. Te multi-level user-friendly interface features optional guidance and context-sensitive onscreen assistance; operators, irrespective of experience level, can focus on per- forming novel measurements rather than troubleshooting technical challenges. Optional add-ons provide control of temperature, fluidic exchange, and the monitoring of dynam- ics triggered by chemical alteration, temperature, or light. Applications are predominantly in life sciences, includ-
ing studies of single molecule binding dynamics, tracking of protein-protein and protein-DNA interactions, monitor- ing of enzyme kinetics, and visualization of supramolecular protein structure self-assembly. High-speed force spectros- copy applications include nanomechanical mapping of sin- gle molecules, membrane segregation, and studies of novel unfolding pathways of biomolecules. Materials science appli- cations include monitoring of atomic-scale point defects in flat sheet inorganic minerals (calcite, mica), crystallization dynamics of polymer transitions, step-edge kinetics of inor- ganic crystals, and dynamics of micelle formation.
Lattice Lightsheet 7 Carl Zeiss Microscopy, LLC Developers: Joerg Siebenmorgen and Tomas Kalkbrenner Te ZEISS Lattice Lightsheet 7
extends the advantages of conven- tional
imaging conditions at speed—to live cell applications
light sheet microscopy—gentle fast imaging that
require near-isotropic image resolution in the confocal microscope. Advanced beam shaping technology
creates
lattice-shaped light sheets that are significantly thinner than standard Gaussian light sheets and thus provide increased resolution at comparable imaging speeds. Te lattice struc- ture of the light sheet is created using a spatial light mod- ulator and is then projected onto the sample aſter passing scanners that dither the lattice structure to create a smooth light sheet. Te lattice-structured light results in a significant reduction of photobleaching and phototoxicity. Te inverse configuration of the system enables the use of standard sam- ple carriers for high-resolution microscopy. Te challenges resulting from an inverse configuration are mainly refractive index mismatches as fluorescence is emitted by the sample,
www.microscopy-today.com • 2021 September
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80
