Versatile application of fluorescent quantum dot labels in super-resolution fluorescence microscopy

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In this work, we successfully developed a variety of viable techniques to enable the use of commercially available QDs suitable to work for all most commercially available super-resolution microscopy setups with enhanced performance. The body of our systematic investigations and other recent parallel investigations leading to QD based super-resolution techniques by other groups has not only meet and overcome a recognized bottle-neck by taking advantage of the absorption and emission behavior of QDs in careful considerations of the requirements by the modern super-resolution techniques, but also this work has taken an important step in enriching super-resolution by enabling the routine use of QDs as bright fluorescent labels for use by biologists in nanoscopy. Although QDs are a very powerful sub-cellular fluorescent labels, there remains a broad potential to further tailor their functions to make them more suitable for super-resolution nanoscopy, as highlighted in this paper. Moreover, the fascinating multiplexing capability of tunable colored QDs will enable multi-color and/or co-localization super-resolution techniques to be realized; a field which is yet to be fully explored.

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