Göttingen MINFLUX

• Subject Area: Cell Biology
• Term: from 2019 to 2023
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 413965558

MINFLUX is arguably the most promising recent development in the field of super-resolution microscopy (nanoscopy) (Balzarotti et al., 2017). It is a novel, experimental and revolutionary approach that fundamentally overcomes the diffraction barrier with a better photon budget than all other nanoscopies reported so far. In first demonstrations, MINFLUX has been shown to achieve ~1-nanometer precision, resolving molecules less than 10 nanometers apart. MINFLUX tracking of single fluorescent proteins in living bacterial cells increased the temporal resolution and the number of localizations per trace by a factor of 100 compared to previous approaches. The aim of Göttingen MINFLUX is to make this technology available to the Göttingen scientific community and beyond. The instrument will be embedded in a well-established and well-connected nanoscopy community at the Göttingen Campus. To fully evaluate and explore this technology, a core group of researchers from different scientific backgrounds, but all with documented experience in super-resolution microscopy, are supporting this proposal. This group will address all core aspects of MINFLUX nanoscopy from sample preparation to data analysis. To comprehensively evaluate the potential of MINFLUX for investigating challenging questions in the life science, we will use the instrument for primarily exploring single molecule MINFLUX tracking in applications ranging from biomolecular chemistry, over membrane receptor biology, mitochondria, synapses, inner hair cells, to translational questions in cardiology and neurology. These investigations will be flanked by research into labeling, 3D options and data analysis. We will ensure transparent access to the instrument and will enable its use to outside users. By this, we expect to compare this technology with established approaches and to identify the experimental strategies and areas of applications that are particularly suitable for MINFLUX. Together, we expect these measures to facilitate a full evaluation of this novel technology and to ensure its wide utilization.

• DFG Programme: Major Instrumentation Initiatives
• Major Instrumentation: Minflux Microscope
• Instrumentation Group: 5090 Spezialmikroskope
• Applicant Institution: Georg-August-Universität Göttingen
• Leader: Professor Dr. Stefan Jakobs
• Participating Persons: Professor Dr. Matthias Bähr; Professor Dr. Jörg Enderlein; Professor Dr. Stephan E. Lehnart; Professor Dr. Tobias Moser; Professor Dr. Axel Munk; Dr. Felipe Opazo; Professor Dr. Peter Rehling; Professorin Dr. Ricarda Richter-Dennerlein; Professor Dr. Silvio-Olivier Rizzoli, Ph.D.; Professorin Dr. Blanche Schwappach-Pignataro; Professorin Dr. Claudia Steinem