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Tuesday, 15 October, 2019

Super-resolution microscopy supercharged with DNA

Massive Photonics GmbH commercializes labeling reagents for DNA-PAINT

 

 

The new startup aims to bring ready-to-use labeling reagents for DNA-PAINT to the user and is geared-up to transform the super-resolution microscopy market.

Fluorescence microscopy has been revolutionized by the invention of techniques circumventing the classical diffraction limit of light. These so-called super-resolution approaches (awarded with the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2014) enable researchers to obtain images with thus far unprecedented spatial resolution. However, while starting to transform research in the life and material sciences and already making an impact to biomedically relevant studies, the wide-spread adoption of super-resolution as standard laboratory technique has yet to materialize. One of the main reasons for this is the rather complex instrumentation and sample preparation necessary to perform super-resolution experiments. To overcome these limitations, the Jungmann group at the Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry and the LMU Munich and colleagues have developed DNA-PAINT with the goal to simplify super-resolution microscopy and lower the entry barrier for novice users. "DNA-PAINT yields super-resolved images using comparably simple microscopes and sample preparation procedures", says Jungmann. The technique uses short, dye-labeled DNA strands that transiently interact with their target-bound complements in order to create the necessary "blinking" for super-resolution. This approach enables sub-10-nm spatial resolution and easy multiplexing through the use of orthogonal DNA sequences for different targets. While the technique has been initially designed and tested using self-assembled DNA origami nanostructures, the team has developed DNA-conjugated labeling reagents over the years to efficiently target protein targets in cells. "There has been a growing interest in the community to get easy access to DNA-conjugated labeling reagents to perform DNA-PAINT experiments", says Sebastian Strauss, co-founder and CTO of Massive Photonics. "We were excited to provide a limited number of groups over the world with reagents on a collaboration basis and realized that there is really a lack of commercial products in this area", adds Jürgen Schmied, co-founder and CEO of Massive Photonics. In order to evaluate the potential of DNA-conjugated labeling reagents for the super-resolution market, Massive Photonic's pre-founding phase was backed by an ERC Proof-of-Concept awarded to the Jungmann group. This allowed the team to develop the reagents from basic research tools to ready-to-use kits that could be distributed to beta testers around the world. "We were thrilled by the interest of the scientific community and the support at the MPI of Biochemistry, LMU and Munich's Center for Nanoscience. We are excited to now make the step into the commercial market with Massive Photonics and develop novel products and assays with our customers in the future", says Jungmann, who is the third co-founder of the startup. Got interested?

More information about Massive Photonics can be found at www.massive-photonics.com

Source: MPIB Press release
www.uni-muenchen.de/forschung/news/2019/jungmann_dnapaint.html