KENBIKYO Vol.52▶No.2 2017
■Feature Articles: The Forefront of Advances in Super-Resolution Microscopy

Spatial and Temporal Resolution Improvement of Multi-Photon Microscopy by Utilizing Novel Optical Technologies

Kohei Otomo, Hirotaka Watanabe, Yumi Yamanaka, Ai Goto, Terumasa Hibi and Tomomi Nemoto

Abstract: Multi-photon excitation laser scanning fluorescence microscopy (MPLSM) has been widely used as an analytical method for direct visualization of dynamical molecular and cellular phenomena. This is because of its superior penetration depth and less invasiveness in specimens owing to its near-infrared excitation laser wavelength compared with the wavelength of single-photon excitation based systems. On the other hand, the spatial resolution with MPLSM tends to be inferior, mainly due to the wavelength of the excitation laser light. In this article, our spatial and temporal resolution improvements of MPLSM by utilizing novel optical technologies, such as the super-resolution microscopy or the spinning disk confocal microscopy, are described.

Key words: Fluorescence Bio-Imaging, Multi-Photon Microscopy, STED Microscopy, Spinning Disk Confocal Microscopy