Q&A: Expansion microscopy

Ruixuan Gao; Shoh M Asano; Edward S Boyden

doi:10.1186/s12915-017-0393-3

Q&A: Expansion microscopy

BMC Biol. 2017 Jun 19;15(1):50. doi: 10.1186/s12915-017-0393-3.

Authors

Ruixuan Gao¹, Shoh M Asano^{1

2}, Edward S Boyden^{3

4

5

6}

Affiliations

¹ Media Lab, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA, USA.
² Internal Medicine Research Unit, Pfizer Inc., Cambridge, MA, USA.
³ Media Lab, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA, USA. [email protected].
⁴ McGovern Institute, MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA. [email protected].
⁵ Department of Biological Engineering, MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA. [email protected].
⁶ Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA. [email protected].

Abstract

Expansion microscopy (ExM) is a recently invented technology that uses swellable charged polymers, synthesized densely and with appropriate topology throughout a preserved biological specimen, to physically magnify the specimen 100-fold in volume, or more, in an isotropic fashion. ExM enables nanoscale resolution imaging of preserved samples on inexpensive, fast, conventional microscopes. How does ExM work? How good is its performance? How do you get going on using it? In this Q&A, we provide the answers to these and other questions about this new and rapidly spreading toolbox.

MeSH terms

Microscopy / instrumentation*
Microscopy, Fluorescence / instrumentation
Polymers / chemistry*
Specimen Handling*

Substances

Polymers