Date Published:

29 Dec, 2023

Abstract:

Over the past decades, single-molecule spectroscopy and super-resolution microscopy have advanced significantly and by now represent important tools for life science research. Despite rapid progress and ongoing development, there is a growing gap between the state-of-the-art and what is accessible to non-optics specialists, e.g., biologists, biochemists, medical researchers, and labs with financial constraints. To bridge this gap, we introduce Brick-MIC, a versatile and affordable open-source 3D-printed micro-spectroscopy and imaging platform. Brick-MIC enables the integration of various fluorescence imaging techniques with single-molecule resolution within a single platform and enables exchange between different modalities within minutes. In this work, we present three variants of Brick-MIC that facilitate single-molecule fluorescence detection, fluorescence correlation spectroscopy and super-resolution imaging. With the three variants, we were able to observe conformational changes and absolute inter-dye distances in single macromolecules and perform single-molecule localization microscopy (STORM and PAINT) of DNA origami nanostructures. Detailed descriptions of the hardware and software components, as well as data analysis routines are provided, to allow non-optics specialist to operate their own Brick-MIC with minimal effort and investments. We foresee that our affordable, flexible, and open-source Brick-MIC platform will be a valuable tool for many laboratories worldwide.

Publisher's Version