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Fluorescence laser-scanning microscopy (LSM) is experiencing a revolution thanks to the introduction of new asynchronous read-out single-photon (SP) array detectors. These detectors give access to an entirely new set of single-photon information typically lost in conventional fluorescence LSM, thus triggering a new imaging/spectroscopy paradigm – the so-called singlephoton LSM (SP-LSM). The revolution’s outcomes are, from one side, the blooming of new SP-LSM techniques and tailored SP array detectors; from the other side, the need for data acquisition (DAQ) systems effectively supporting such innovations. In particular, there is a growing need for DAQ systems capable of handling the high throughput and high temporal resolution information generated by the single-photon detectors. To fill this gap, we developed an open-source multi-channel time tagging module (TTM) based on a field-programmable-gate array (FPGA), that can temporally tag single-photon events – with 30 ps precision – and synchronisation events – with 4 ns precision. Furthermore, being an open-access project, the TTM can be upgraded, modified, and customized by the microscopy-makers. We connected the TTM to a fluorescence LSM equipped with a single-photon avalanche diode (SPAD) bidimensional array detector, and we implemented fluorescence lifetime image scanning microscopy (FLISM) and, for the first time, fluorescence lifetime fluctuation spectroscopy (FLFS). We expect that our BrigthEyes-TTM will support the microscopy community to spread SP-LSM in many life science labs.

Super-resolution microscopy is routinely used for fixed and thin samples, while its feasibility for imaging live and thick samples is still limited. In the case of stimulated emission depletion (STED) microscopy, the high-intensity illumination required to achieve effective sub-diffraction resolution can introduce photo-damage, thus reducing the compatibility of the technique with live-cell imaging. Moreover, the out-of-focus fluorescence background may overcome the often faint signal stemming from the focal point, thus constraining imaging to thin samples. Here, we combined STED microscopy with image-scanning microscopy (ISM) to mitigate these limitations without any practical disadvantages. We first enhanced a laser scanning microscope (LSM) by introducing a detector array, hence providing access to a set of additional spatial information that is not available with a typical single-element detector. Then, we exploited this extended dataset to implement focus-ISM, a novel method that relaxes the high-intensity requirement of STED microscopy and removes the out-of-focus background. Additionally, we generalized the focus-ISM method to conventional LSM, namely without a STED beam. The proposed approach requires minimal architectural changes compared with conventional STED microscopes but provides substantial advantages for live and thick sample imaging while maintaining all compatibility with all recent advances in STED and confocal microscopy. As such, focus-ISM represents an essential step towards a universal super-resolved LSM technique for subcellular imaging.

Fourier ring correlation (FRC) has recently gained popularity among fluorescence microscopists as a straightforward and objective method to measure the effective image resolution. While the knowledge of the numeric resolution value is helpful in e.g., interpreting imaging results, much more practical use can be made of FRC analysis—in this article we propose blind image restoration methods enabled by it. We apply FRC to perform image de-noising by frequency domain filtering. We propose novel blind linear and non-linear image deconvolution methods that use FRC to estimate the effective point-spread-function, directly from the images. We show how FRC can be used as a powerful metric to observe the progress of iterative deconvolution. We also address two important limitations in FRC that may be of more general interest: how to make FRC work with single images (within certain practical limits) and with three-dimensional images with highly anisotropic resolution., Fourier ring correlation (FRC) analysis is commonly used in fluorescence microscopy to measure effective image resolution. Here, the authors demonstrate that FRC can also be leveraged in blind image restoration methods, such as image deconvolution.

Image Scanning Microscopy (ISM) [1] successfully overcomes the trade-off between resolution and signal-to-noise ratio of traditional confocal microscopes by considering the spatial distribution of the fluorescence emission light and by reassigning the detected photons accordingly (i.e., pixel-reassignment). A recent implementation [2] upgrades a confocal to an image scanning microscope by substituting the traditional single-element detector with a SPAD array detector. Notably, the SPAD array samples the fluorescence signal from the detection/probing volume both in space (such as cameras) and in time (such as single element detectors, e.g., SPADs), providing potentially significant extra information for a variety of experimental contexts. To fully exploit this advantage, we present a versatile FPGA-based time-resolved microscopy platform that parallelly acquires all the SPAD array signals with a sub-nanosecond temporal resolution, thanks to a Digital Frequency Domain architecture. In the context of stimulated emission depletion (STED) microscopy, we leverage the platform to decrease the STED power needed to achieve a target spatial resolution [3] . In particular, we show how to synergically exploit both the spatial and temporal extra information to implement a new and dedicated photon-reassignment method for STED microscopy. This method not only takes advantage of the pixel-reassignment principle but also compensates for all the different sources of background which typically reduce resolution and imaging quality in STED microscopy, i.e., incomplete depletion [4] , [5] , direct-excitation from the STED beam and out-of-focus signal. Additionally, the platform allows for fluorescence lifetime imaging and a straightforward pulsed interleaved excitation (PIE) implementation, enabling dual-color STED microscopy ( Fig. 1 ).

Image scanning microscopy is a technique based on confocal microscopy, in which the confocal pinhole is replaced by a detector array, and the resulting image is reconstructed, usually by the process of pixel reassignment. The detector array collects most of the fluorescent light, so the signal-to-noise ratio is much improved compared with confocal microscopy with a small pinhole, while the resolution is improved compared with conventional (wide-field) microscopy. In previous studies, it has usually been assumed that pixels should be reassigned by a constant factor, to a point midway between the illumination and detection spots. Here it is shown that the peak intensity of the effective point spread function (PSF) can be further increased by 4% by a new choice of the pixel reassignment factor. For an array of two Airy units, the peak of the effective PSF is 1.90 times that of a conventional microscope, and the transverse resolution is 1.53 times better. It is confirmed that image scanning microscopy gives optical sectioning strength identical to that of a confocal microscope with a pinhole equal to the size of the detector array. However, it is shown that image scanning microscopy exhibits axial resolution superior to a confocal microscope with a pinhole the same size as the detector array. For a two-Airy-unit array, the axial resolution is 1.34 times better than in a conventional microscope for the standard reassignment factor, and 1.28 times better for the new reassignment factor. The axial resolution of a confocal microscope with a two-Airy-unit pinhole is only 1.04 times better than conventional microscopy. We also examine the signal-to-noise ratio of a point object in a uniform background (called the detectability), and show that it is 1.6 times higher than in a confocal microscope.

Image scanning microscopy is a technique of confocal microscopy in which the confocal pinhole is replaced by a detector array, and the image is reconstructed most straightforwardly by pixel reassignment. In the fluorescence mode, the detector array collects most of the fluorescent light, so the signal-to-noise ratio is much improved compared with confocal microscopy with a small pinhole, while the resolution is improved compared with conventional fluorescence microscopy. Here we consider two cases in which the illumination and detection point spread functions are dissimilar: illumination with a Bessel beam and multiphoton microscopy. It has been shown previously that for Bessel beam illumination in image scanning microscopy with a large array, the imaging performance is degraded. On the other hand, it is also known that the resolution of confocal microscopy is improved by Bessel beam illumination. Here we analyze image scanning microscopy with Bessel beam illumination together with a small array and show that an improvement in transverse resolution (width of the point spread function) by a factor of 1.78 compared with a conventional fluorescence microscope can be obtained. We also examine the behavior of image scanning microscopy in two- or three-photon fluorescence and for two-photon excitation also with Bessel beam illumination. The combination of the optical sectioning effect of image scanning microscopy with multiphoton microscopy reduces background from the sample surface, which can increase penetration depth. For a detector array size of two Airy units, the resolution of two-photon image scanning microscopy is a factor 1.85 better and the peak of the point spread function 2.84 times higher than in nonconfocal two-photon fluorescence. The resolution of three-photon image scanning microscopy is a factor 2.10 better, and the peak of the point spread function is 3.77 times higher than in nonconfocal three-photon fluorescence. The resolution of two-photon image scanning microscopy with Bessel beam illumination is a factor 2.13 better than in standard two-photon fluorescence. Axial resolution and optical sectioning in two-photon or three-photon fluorescence are also improved by using the image scanning modality.

Two-photon excitation (2PE) laser scanning microscopy is the imaging modality of choice when one desires to work with thick biological samples. However, its spatial resolution is poor, below confocal laser scanning microscopy. Here, we propose a straightforward implementation of 2PE image scanning microscopy (2PE-ISM) that, by leveraging our recently introduced single-photon avalanche diode (SPAD) array detector and a novel blind image reconstruction method, is shown to enhance the effective resolution, as well as the overall image quality of 2PE microscopy. With our adaptive pixel reassignment procedure similar to 1.6 times resolution increase is maintained deep into thick semi-transparent samples. The integration of Fourier ring correlation based semi-blind deconvolution is shown to further enhance the effective resolution by a factor of similar to 2 - and automatic background correction is shown to boost the image quality especially in noisy images. Most importantly, our 2PE-ISM implementation requires no calibration measurements or other input from the user, which is an important aspect in terms of day-to-day usability of the technique. (C) 2020 Optical Society of America under the terms of the OSA Open Access Publishing Agreement H2020 Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions (AdaptiveSTED, No. 794531); FondsWetenschappelijk Onderzoek (G092915, V429717N); European Research Council (Bright Eyes, No. 818699). Vicidomini, G (corresponding author), Ist Italiano Tecnol, Mol Microscopy & Spect, Genoa, Italy giuseppe.vicidomini@iit.it

We propose a straightforward implementation of two-photon image scanning microscopy (2PE-ISM) that, by leveraging our recently introduced single-photon avalanche diode (SPAD) array detector and a novel blind image reconstruction algorithm is shown to dramatically improve the optical resolution of two-photon imaging, in various test samples. We show how our computational ISM approach is able to adapt to changing imaging conditions, thus ensuring optimal image quality. We also show how our recently introduced blind deconvolution approaches can be integrated into the image reconstruction workflow to further improve the image quality.

Stimulated emission depletion (STED) microscopy is one of the most influential nanoscopy techniques; by increasing the STED beam intensity, it theoretically improves the spatial resolution to any desired value. However, the higher is the dose of stimulating photons, the stronger are the photo-bleaching and photo-toxicity effects, which potentially compromise live-cell and long-term imaging. For this reason the scientific community is looking for strategies to reduce the STED beam intensity needed to achieve a target resolution. Here, we show how the combination of STED microscopy with image scanning microscopy (ISM) meets this request. In particular, we introduce a new STED-ISM architecture – based on our recent single-photon-avalanche-diode (SPAD) detector array – which allows covering the near-diffraction limit resolution range with reduced STED beam intensity. We demonstrate this ability both with simulated data and in live-cell experiments. Because of (i) the minimal changes in the optical architecture of the typical point-scanning STED microscope; (ii) the parameter-free, robust and real-time pixel-reassignment method to obtain the STED-ISM image; (iii) the compatibility with all the recent progresses in STED microscopy, we envisage a natural and rapid upgrade of any STED microscope to the proposed STED-ISM architecture.

Two-photon excitation (2PE) laser scanning microscopy is the imaging modality of choice when one desires to work with thick biological samples. However, its spatial resolution is poor, below confocal laser scanning microscopy. Here, we propose a straightforward implementation of 2PE image scanning microscopy (2PE-ISM) that, by leveraging our recently introduced ISM platform – based on a new single-photon avalanche diode (SPAD) array detector – coupled with a novel blind image reconstruction method, is shown to improve the effective resolution, as well as the overall image quality of 2PE microscopy. Indeed, in stark contrast to conventional single-point detectors, SPAD array detectors give access to the images of any excited scanning region, from which it is possible to decode information about the aberrations/distortions – occurring during imaging – able to substantially improve the reconstruction. Most importantly, our 2PE-ISM implementation requires no calibration or other input from the user; it works like any familiar two-photon system, but produces higher resolution images deep into thick samples. In our view, this novel implementation is the key for making 2PE-ISM mainstream.

In image scanning microscopy, the pinhole of a confocal microscope is replaced by a detector array. The point spread function for each detector element can be interpreted as the probability density function of the signal, the peak giving the most likely origin. This thus allows a form of maximum likelihood restoration, and compensation for aberrations, with similarities to adaptive optics. As an example of an aberration, we investigate theoretically and experimentally illumination with a vortex doughnut beam. After reassignment and summation over the detector array, the point spread function is compact, and the resolution and signal level higher than in a conventional microscope.

Image scanning microscopy (ISM) can improve the effective spatial resolution of confocal microscopy to its theoretical limit. However, current implementations are not robust or versatile, and are incompatible with fluorescence lifetime imaging (FLIM). We describe an implementation of ISM based on a single-photon detector array that enables super-resolution FLIM and improves multicolor, live-cell and in-depth imaging, thereby paving the way for a massive transition from confocal microscopy to ISM. A single-photon detector array enables robust and versatile image scanning microscopy (ISM) on any confocal microscope. This implementation makes super-resolution FLIM possible and eases a transition from confocal microscopy to ISM.

Image scanning microscopy (ISM) improves the spatial resolution of conventional confocal laser-scanning microscopy (CLSM), but current implementations reduce versatility and restrict its combination with fluorescence spectroscopy techniques, such as fluorescence lifetime. Here, we describe a natural design of ISM based on a fast single-photon detector array, which allows straightforward upgrade of an existing confocal microscope, without compromising any of its functionalities. In contrast to all-optical ISM implementations, our approach provides access to the raw scanned images, opening the way to adaptive reconstruction methods, capable of considering different imaging conditions and distortions. We demonstrate its utility in the context of fluorescence lifetime, deep, multicolor and live-cell imaging. This implementation will pave the way for a transparent and massive transition from conventional CLSM to ISM.confocal microscopy | time-resolved spectroscopy | image scanning microscopy | single-photon detector array

A method for generating three-dimensional tomograms from multiple three-dimensional axial projections in STimulated Emission Depletion (STED) superresolution microscopy is introduced. Our STED< method, based on the use of a micromirror placed on top of a standard microscopic sample, is used to record a three-dimensional projection at an oblique angle in relation to the main optical axis. Combining the STED< projection with the regular STED image into a single view by tomographic reconstruction, is shown to result in a tomogram with three-to-four-fold improved apparent axial resolution. Registration of the different projections is based on the use of a mutual-information histogram similarity metric. Fusion of the projections into a single view is based on Richardson-Lucy iterative deconvolution algorithm, modified to work with multiple projections. Our tomographic reconstruction method is demonstrated to work with real biological STED superresolution images, including a data set with a limited signal-to-noise ratio (SNR); the reconstruction software (SuperTomo) and its source code will be released under BSD open-source license.

Development of fluorescent and electron dense markers is essential for the implementation of correlative light and electron microscopy, as dual-contrast landmarks are required to match the details in the multimodal images. Here, a novel method for correlative microscopy that utilizes fluorescent nanodiamonds (FNDs) as dual-contrast probes is reported. It is demonstrated how the FNDs can be used as dual-contrast labels-and together with automatic image registration tool SuperTomo, for precise image correlation-in high-resolution stimulated emission depletion (STED)/confocal and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) correlative microscopy experiments. It is shown how FNDs can be employed in experiments with both live and fixed cells as well as simple test samples. The fluorescence imaging can be performed either before TEM imaging or after, as the robust FNDs survive the TEM sample preparation and can be imaged with STED and other fluorescence microscopes directly on the TEM grids.

In stimulated emission depletion (STED) microscopy, the lateral resolution is in the range of tens of nanometers depending on the sample and the instrument. The axial resolution, however, is in standard systems limited by diffraction to about 500 nm. We present an approach to three-dimensional diffraction-unlimited resolution by observing the sample at two optical angles. The system is realized by using an atomic force microscope (AFM) chip as a microreflector to deflect the STED beams near the region-of-interest (ROI), thus allowing observations at an angle ∠. Consequently, the superior lateral resolution can be utilized to resolve details in the axial direction of the main optical axis of the microscope. Here, fluorescent nanoparticles 90 nm apart and biological structures 80 nm apart along axial direction were distinguished by utilizing an off-the-shelf, commercial STED microscope, coupled with an AFM and an AFM chip micro-reflector.

Actin and myosins (IIA, IIB, and X) generate mechanical forces in osteoclasts that drive functions such as migration and membrane trafficking. In neurofibromatosis, these processes are perturbed due to a mutation in neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) gene. This mutation leads to generation of hyperactive bone-resorbing osteoclasts that increases incidence of skeletal dysplasia e.g. early-onset osteoporosis in patients suffering from neurofibromatosis. To study the density and function of actin clusters in mutated cells we introduce a new approach for combined use of a stimulated emission depletion (STED) microscope with an atomic force microscope (AFM). We resolved actin-cores within actin-microdomains at four typical structures (podosome-belt, podosome raft, actin patches, and sealing zone) for osteoclasts cultured on bone as well as on glass. Densities of actin-cores in these structures were higher on bone than on glass, and the nearest neighbor distances were shortest in sealing zones, where also an accumulation of vesicular material was observed at their center. In NF1 deficient osteoclasts, the clustering was tighter and there was also more vesicular material accumulated inside the sealing zone. Using the STED-AFM system, we measured the condensation of the actin structures in real-time after a bone-coated cantilever was placed in contact with a differentiated osteoclast and found that the condensation of actin was initiated at 40 min, after sufficient local actin concentration was reached. A functional implication of the less dense clustering in NF1 deficient cells was that the adhesion of these cells was less specific for bone. The data and new methodologies presented here build a foundation for establishing novel actomyosin dependent mechanisms during osteoclast migration and resorption.

Stress fibers are major contractile actin structures in non-muscle cells, where they have an important role in adhesion, morphogenesis and mechanotransduction. Palladin is a multidomain protein, which associates with stress fibers in a variety of cell-types. However, the exact role of palladin in stress fiber assembly and maintenance has remained obscure, and whether it functions as an actin filament cross-linker or scaffolding protein was unknown. We demonstrate that palladin is specifically required for assembly of non-contractile dorsal stress fibers, and is consequently essential for generation of stress fiber networks and regulation of cell morphogenesis in osteosarcoma cells migrating in three-dimensional collagen matrix. Importantly, we reveal that palladin is necessary for the recruitment of vasodilator stimulated phosphoprotein (VASP) to dorsal stress fibers, and that it promotes stress fiber assembly through VASP. Both palladin and VASP display similar rapid dynamics at dorsal stress fibers, suggesting that they associate with stress fibers as a complex. Thus, palladin functions as a dynamic scaffolding protein, which promotes the assembly of dorsal stress fibers by recruiting VASP to these structures.

Acidic pH inside cells indicates cellular dysfunctions such as cancer. Therefore, the development of optical pH sensors for measuring and imaging intracellular pH is a demanding challenge. The available pH-sensitive probes are vulnerable to e.g. photobleaching or autofluorescence background in biological materials. Our approach circumvents these problems due to near infrared excitation and upconversion photoluminescence. We introduce a nanosensor based on upconversion resonance energy transfer (UC-RET) between an upconverting nanoparticle (UCNP) and a fluorogenic pH-dependent dye pHrodo™ Red that was covalently bound to the aminosilane surface of the nanoparticles. The sensitized fluorescence of the pHrodo™ Red dye increases strongly with decreasing pH. By referencing the pH-dependent emission of pHrodo™ Red with the pH-insensitive upconversion photoluminescence of the UCNP, we developed a pH-sensor which exhibits a dynamic range from pH 7.2 to 2.5. The applicability of the introduced pH nanosensor for pH imaging was demonstrated by imaging the two emission wavelengths of the nanoprobe in living HeLa cells with a confocal fluorescence microscope upon 980 nm excitation. This demonstrates that the presented pH-nanoprobe can be used as an intracellular pH-sensor due to the unique features of UCNPs: excitation with deeply penetrating near-infrared light, high photostability, lack of autofluorescence and biocompatibility due to an aminosilane coating.

Photo-Acoustic Microscopy (PAM) has raised high interest in in-vivo imaging due to its ability to preserve the near-diffraction limited spatial resolution of optical microscopes, whilst extending the penetration depth to the mm-range. Another advantage of PAM is that it is a label-free technique – any substance that absorbs PAM excitation laser light can be viewed. However, not all sample structures desired to be observed absorb sufficiently to provide contrast for imaging. This work describes a novel imaging method that makes it possible to visualize optically transparent samples that lack intrinsic photo-acoustic contrast, without the addition of contrast agents. A thin, strongly light absorbing layer next to sample is used to generate a strong ultrasonic signal. This signal, when recorded from opposite side, contains ultrasonic transmission information of the sample and thus the method can be used to obtain an ultrasound transmission image on any PAM.

Scientific Reports 6: Article number: 28962; published online: 01 July 2016; updated: 19 August 2016. In this Article, the PyImageQualityRanking software source code has been omitted from the Methods section under subheading ‘Image Quality Ranking Software’. It should read: “The PyImageQualityRanking software’s source code can be downloaded from https://bitbucket.

Automated analysis of microscope images is necessitated by the increased need for high-resolution follow up of events in time. Manually finding the right images to be analyzed, or eliminated from data analysis are common day-to-day problems in microscopy research today, and the constantly growing size of image datasets does not help the matter. We propose a simple method and a software tool for sorting images within a dataset, according to their relative quality. We demonstrate the applicability of our method in finding good quality images in a STED microscope sample preparation optimization image dataset. The results are validated by comparisons to subjective opinion scores, as well as five state-of-the-art blind image quality assessment methods. We also show how our method can be applied to eliminate useless out-of-focus images in a High-Content-Screening experiment. We further evaluate the ability of our image quality ranking method to detect out-of-focus images, by extensive simulations, and by comparing its performance against previously published, well-established microscopy autofocus metrics.

We present a tomographic Stimulated Emission Depletion (STED) microscopy method with three-dimensional superresolution, and its application to osteoclast bone resorption study. In order to improve axial resolution in standard STED system by tomography, two axial projections were obtained by imaging a sample at two different angles; one conventionally from below and another from the side. The second observation was acquired via a metal-coated silicon mirror, positioned above the region of interest by a custom-built micro-positioner. The acquired two sets of 3D stacks were computationally registered and fused, with our own in-house-developed software, to produce a 3D tomogram with three-dimensional super-resolution. With the presented tomographic super-resolution method we optically investigated actin cytoskeleton through thin and smooth bone layer, particularly at ruffled boarders (RB), which are directly associated with active bone resorption in osteoclasts. Tomographic STED microscopy at RB of osteoclast, cultured on thin bone layer, demonstrated axial resolution of approx. 210 nm, revealing fine axial structures of actin cytoskeleton at RB. Further investigation of the cytoskeleton at RB in relation with associated proteins would provide understanding in the protein roles during the bone resorption.

Multi-modal correlative microscopy allows combining the strengths of several imaging techniques to provide unique contrast. However it is not always straightforward to setup instruments for such customized experiments, as most microscope manufacturers use their own proprietary software, with limited or no capability to interface with other instruments - this makes correlation of the multi-modal data extremely challenging. We introduce a new software tool for simultaneous use of a STimulated Emission Depletion (STED) microscope with an Atomic Force Microscope (AFM). In our experiments, a Leica TCS STED commercial super-resolution microscope, together with an Agilent 5500ilm AFM microscope was used. With our software, it is possible to synchronize the data acquisition between the STED and AFM instruments, as well as to perform automatic registration of the AFM images with the super-resolution STED images. The software was realized in LabVIEW; the registration part was also implemented as an ImageJ script. The synchronization was realized by controlling simple trigger signals, also available in the commercial STED microscope, with a low-cost National Instruments USB-6501 digital I/O card. The registration was based on detecting the positions of the AFM tip inside the STED fieldof-view, which were then used as registration landmarks. The registration should work on any STED and tip-scanning AFM microscope combination, at nanometer-scale precision. Our STED-AFM correlation method has been tested with a variety of nanoparticle and fixed cell samples. The software will be released under BSD open-source license.

Precise knowledge of the effective spatial resolution in a stimulated emission depletion (STED) microscopy experiment is essential for reliable interpretation of the imaging results. STED microscopy theoretically provides molecular resolution, but practically different factors limit its resolution. Because these factors are related to both the sample and the system, a reliable estimation of the resolution is not straightforward. Here we show a method based on the Fourier ring correlation (FRC), which estimates an absolute resolution value directly from any STED and, more in general, point-scanning microscopy image. The FRC-based resolution metric shows terrific sensitivity to the image signal-to-noise ratio, as well as to all sample and system dependent factors. We validated the method both on commercial and on custom-made microscopes. Since the FRC-based metric can be computed in real time, without any prior information of the system/sample, it can become a fundamental tool for (i) microscopy users to optimize the experimental conditions and (ii) microscopy specialists to optimize the system conditions.

Recent advances within materials science and its interdisciplinary applications in biomedicine have emphasized the potential of using a single multifunctional composite material for concurrent drug delivery and biomedical imaging. Here we present a novel composite material consisting of a photoluminescent nanodiamond (ND) core with a porous silica (SiO2) shell. This novel multifunctional probe serves as an alternative nanomaterial to address the existing problems with delivery and subsequent tracing of the particles. Whereas the unique optical properties of ND allows for long-term live cell imaging and tracking of cellular processes, mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) have proven to be efficient drug carriers. The advantages of both ND and MSNs were hereby integrated in the new composite material, ND@MSN. The optical properties provided by the ND core rendered the nanocomposite suitable for microscopy imaging in fluorescence and reflectance mode, as well as super-resolution microscopy as a STED label; whereas the porous silica coating provided efficient intracellular delivery capacity, especially in surface-functionalized form. This study serves as a demonstration how this novel nanomaterial can be exploited for both bioimaging and drug delivery for future theranostic applications.

The combination of confocal laser-scanning microscopy (CLSM) and fluorescence fluctuation spectroscopy (FFS) is a powerful tool in studying fast, sub-resolution biomolecular processes in living cells. A detector array can further enhance CLSM-based FFS techniques, as it allows the simultaneous acquisition of several samples–essentially images—of the CLSM detection volume. However, the detector arrays that have previously been proposed for this purpose require tedious data corrections and preclude the combination of FFS with single-photon techniques, such as fluorescence lifetime imaging. Here, we solve these limitations by integrating a novel single-photon-avalanche-diode (SPAD) array detector in a CLSM system. We validate this new implementation on a series of FFS analyses: spot-variation fluorescence correlation spectroscopy, pair-correlation function analysis, and image-derived mean squared displacement analysis. We predict that the unique combination of spatial and temporal information provided by our detector will make the proposed architecture the method of choice for CLSM-based FFS.