Expanding Horizons

Thanks to an innovative approach to imaging known as expansion microscopy, scientists can see ever more clearly inside cells. Rather than trying to improve microscope optics, expansion microscopy uses physical forces to create a closer view: samples are embedded in a hydrogel, which swells with water, enlarging the spaces between molecular structures, and so improving visibility. Further refining this technique, researchers developed a new toolkit, called Magnify, to achieve an 11-fold expansion of tissue while simultaneously labelling multiple different structures. Diving into this kidney tissue (shown) reveals the arrangements of cellular components, like DNA in the nuclei (in magenta) and the cytoskeletal protein ACTN4 (in orange), in extraordinary detail. Compatible with many existing protocols for preparing tissue samples and regular light microscopes, Magnify is designed to make expansion microscopy both more powerful and more accessible, with example applications in brain and lung tissue pointing to a host of potential uses.

Written by Emmanuelle Briolat

Emmanuelle Briolat

Writer

A researcher specialising in visual signals in Lepidoptera, camouflage and the effects of light pollution, Emmanuelle’s writing covers a range of topics, from biomedical research to children’s books about moth defences.

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• Video from work by Aleksandra Klimas and Brendan R. Gallagher, and colleagues
• Department of Biological Sciences, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
• Video originally published with a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
• Published in Nature Biotechnology, January 2023