How Super-Resolution Microscopy Changed Brain & Cancer Research | Prof. Markus Sauer

How do you see structures inside cells that are smaller than the wavelength of light? Why was the diffraction limit considered an unbreakable barrier for decades, and how did super-resolution microscopy change everything?

In this episode of Neuroscience and Beyond, we explore the frontiers of biological imaging with Prof. Markus Sauer, a pioneer of modern super-resolution microscopy. Prof. Sauer developed direct STORM (dSTORM), a technique that enables visualization of molecular organization at the nanometer scale. He leads the super-resolution microscopy lab at the Biozentrum, University of Würzburg, where his team continues to push the boundaries of cellular imaging.

We discuss how single-molecule localization microscopy works, what are the technical challenges that we had to overcome to see the nanometer molecular world, and how these methods are now central to research in neuroscience, immunology, and translational science. The conversation also explores expansion microscopy, quantitative imaging, and the challenges of interpreting increasingly detailed biological data.

This episode takes a closer look at how improved imaging reshapes our understanding of cells, and why higher resolution often leads to deeper questions.

In this episode, you’ll learn about:

• Important barriers to brake in order to achieve super-resolution microscopy
• The principles behind dSTORM and single-molecule localization
• What super-resolution reveals about molecular organization in neurons and in the context of immunology
• Expansion microscopy and its impact on modern cell biology

Timestamps

00:00:00 Introduction & Episode Overview

00:02:10 Markus Sauer’s Path into Microscopy

00:08:40 What Is the Diffraction Limit and Why It Matters

00:12:30 The Idea Behind Super-Resolution Microscopy

00:15:20 How dSTORM Works at the Single-Molecule Level

00:30:00 From Physics to Biology: Applications of Microscopy

00:42:40 Expansion Microscopy

00:47:30 What is Next in Microscopy? What are the limitations?

00:54:00 Current Challenges and Future Directions

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#Neuroscience #SuperResolutionMicroscopy #dSTORM #Microscopy #CellBiology #DiffractionLimit #ExpansionMicroscopy #Neuroimaging #SciencePodcast #Biophysics

Supported by the International Max Planck Research School for Neurosciences in #Göttingen, the European Neuroscience Institute, Cluster of Excellence Multiscale Bioimaging, as well as SFB1286

Neuroscience and Beyond team:

Svilen Georgiev

Kristina Jevdokimenko

Ahsen Konaç Sayıcı

Laura van Agen