STED microscope: illuminating the brain
Exploring brain tissue with unparalleled precision
Paris Brain Institute has acquired an adaptive optics (AO) STED microscope to accelerate discoveries in cellular neurobiology. This equipment is unique in France in its configuration and very rare worldwide.
OUR CHALLENGE
Enabling the observation of tiny cellular structures, down to 20 nanometers in size, in thick samples of brain tissue, a breakthrough made possible by the unprecedented combination of two depletion lasers, an adaptive optics module, and a Matrix detector.
A challenge for fundamental research
Understanding the formation and evolution of synapses, identifying abnormalities that could cause neurodevelopmental disorders, studying the developing and aging brain; all these projects have been made possible thanks to the STED microscope.
An innovation serving the entire scientific community
This new tool propels the Institute to the forefront in the use of this technology and supports Paris Brain Institute’s researchers, startups, and academic and industrial partners. It promotes the sharing of expertise, technological training, and the pooling of cutting-edge equipment in neuroscience.
“Adaptive optics remove a major technological barrier: we can now observe thick brain tissue in depth without losing resolution.”
Frédéric Darios
Scientific Manager of the ICM.Quant facility
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The generous support of the Fondation NRJ – Institut de France, founded by Mr. Jean-Paul Baudecroux, made it possible to acquire this new-generation STED microscope, equipped with an adaptive optics module and commissioned in 2024.