Advances in super-resolution technology and application in biomedical research

The diffraction limit of the conventional light microscope establishes a barrier that limits resolution and prevents observation of fine structural details within biological specimens. A number of commercially available systems now enable researchers to beat diffraction and achieve up to ten-fold improvements in resolution. These super resolution systems generally rely on one of two strategies. They either add optical elements in order to overcome the diffraction limit or they implement computational power and fitting algorithms to circumvent it. We have now entered the next phase in the development of super resolution systems, where probes, hardware, and software are gaining the refinements necessary to facilitate their application to a range of biological problems. Here, we highlight the recent developments in these areas for two types of super resolution imaging systems, structured illumination microscopy (SIM) and stochastic optical reconstruction microscopy (STORM). These improvements are promoting the fast acquisition and processing speeds needed for live cell imaging beyond the diffraction limit.