China's super microscope broadens understanding on how cells interact in mammals

A team of Chinese scientists crafted a super intravital microscope that is capable of seeing clearly the entire three-dimensional (3D) interactions of a large-scale cell's network at the mammalian organ level.

The instrument, developed by Tsinghua University, is designed to enhance innovative research in oncology, immunology and neuroscience, in order to provide a systemic understanding on how organs are organized and functioning at the single cell resolution.

This microscope called the RUSH3D system offers a centimeter-scale field of view and subcellular resolution. It is capable of high-speed 3D imaging at a rate of 20 frames per second, while also enabling continuous observation for dozens of hours with low toxicity, according to the study published on Friday in the journal Cell.

In neuroscience, for instance, the intricate interactions among a large population of neurons are responsible for complex functions like intelligence and consciousness. Understanding the architecture and operational dynamics of neural circuits is crucial for deciphering the inner workings of the brain.

The research team utilized the system to achieve high-speed 3D observation covering layers of the cerebral cortex in live mice at single-cell resolution.

They captured the distinct response patterns of various cortical regions under multi-sensory stimulation and tracked large-scale neural responses with single-neuron precision across several consecutive days, according to the study.

"The traditional fluorescence microscopy allowed us to observe only part of an organ, such as a specific brain region in a mouse," said Dai Qionghai, the paper's corresponding author from Tsinghua University.

"The RUSH3D system, however, is akin to using 100 microscopes simultaneously, providing complete coverage of the mouse cortex and capturing the dynamic interactions of hundreds of thousands of neurons," said Dai.