Prof. CHEN Liangyi (Credit: IHB)

Prof. CHEN Liangyi from Peking University paid a visit to the Institute of Hydrobiology (IHB) of the Chinese Academy of Scienceson July 2nd, 2021. During his visit, Prof. Chen was invited to give a lecture titled "Next Generation of Super-resolution Imaging of Living Cells: New Principles and New Applications".   

In the presentation, Prof. Chen introduced a series of advances in the super-resolution imaging technology of living cells in his laboratory in recent years. Based on the new optics, control and device design of the principle of "the most sensitive super-resolution imaging" and the structural optical deconvolution reconstruction algorithm of "space-time continuity", Prof. Chen invented the "ultra-sensitive Hessen super-resolution structured illumination microscopy". It has a spatial resolution of 85 nm and a top speed of around 564 frames per second.    

On this basis, through the development of the "sparse" index of the deconvolution algorithm, the resolution of the microscope reached 60 nm, and has the ability of 3D imaging. This algorithm provides a general computational super-resolution method that reliably extends spatial resolution beyond physical limits posed by the hardware.    

In addition, Prof. Chen developed the "Living Cell Dual-mode Super-resolution Microscope" to solve the problem of incomplete view of the whole picture in the microscopic imaging research by labeling. The technique provides a panoramic view of the structure, dynamics, and interactions of a variety of organelles, including mitochondria, lipid droplets, nuclear membranes et.al, without labeling.    

Towards the end of the lecture, Prof. Chen, taking hypomyelinated leukodystrophy as an example, introduced the application of living cell super-resolution imaging in the prediction of clinical disease phenotypes. His presentation provided the teachers and students a deeper insights into the high spatial and temporal resolution microscopic imaging in vivo. 

Prof. Chen is Boya Distinguished Professor of Peking University. Funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China for Distinguished Young Scholars, he has invented a series of biomedical imaging methods with high spatial and temporal resolution. Chen’s work not only promoted the domestic and overseas basic biomedical researches, but transformed the original technology into the high-end microscope products that are urgently needed in China as well.