Stochastic Optical Reconstruction Microscopy

Stochastic optical reconstruction microscopy (STORM) is the one of the most widely used forms of super-resolution microscopy which is based on optically switchable fluorophores (molecules that can be switched between a nonfluorescent and a fluorescent state by exposure to light) which emit light at different times and they are used to resolve the image in time. STORM allows the visualization of nanoscopic structures while retaining the advantages of optical microscopy such as sample preparation, molecular identification through immunostaining and multicolor fluorescence imaging. This approach enables single cell characterization and analyses of cell-cell and cell-environment interactions and in-situ cellular processes.