A groundbreaking algorithm has successfully tackled the challenge of microscopy resolution by employing pixel reassignment.
Deblurring by pixel reassignment remaps raw fluorescent microscopy images to sharpen images via pixel reassignment. Image Credit: Zhao and Mertz.
Achieving high-resolution images in the realm of microscopy has posed a longstanding obstacle. The deconvolution method, often employed to enhance image clarity, frequently exacerbates noise originating from the sample and image interaction.
A recent development by researchers at Boston University presents an innovative deblurring algorithm that circumvents these challenges, resulting in improved image resolution while conserving photon intensity and local linearity.
Their findings, published in the Gold Open Access journal Advanced Photonics, reveal that this novel deblurring algorithm is adaptable to various fluorescence microscopes, requiring minimal assumptions about the emission point spread function (PSF).
This algorithm operates effectively on both a sequence of raw images and even a single image, facilitating temporal analysis of fluctuating fluorophore statistics. Additionally, the researchers have made this algorithm readily available as a MATLAB function, ensuring widespread accessibility.
The core concept underpinning this revolutionary advancement revolves around pixel reassignment. By redistributing pixel intensities based on local gradients, images are sharpened without introducing noise artifacts. Prior to applying this process, the technique standardizes raw images, ensuring consistent outcomes.
Traditional microscopy resolution is typically defined by the ability to distinguish two closely spaced point sources. The new approach, dubbed "deblurring by pixel reassignment" (DPR), significantly reduces the required separation distance, thereby enhancing microscopy resolution.
To underscore the effectiveness of DPR, the researchers applied it to a variety of imaging scenarios, including single-molecule localization, structural imaging of engineered cardiac tissue, and volumetric zebrafish imaging. These real-world applications underscored DPR's potential in enhancing the clarity of microscopic images.
DPR’s distinctive capability to sharpen images while preserving larger structures opens up a plethora of applications. It can be employed in situations where samples exhibit both small and large structures, rendering it a versatile tool for researchers.
While no deblurring technique is entirely impervious to noise, DPR's advantage lies in its ability to avoid noise amplification. This sets it apart from other deconvolution methods, simplifying its implementation and rendering it suitable for a wide array of samples with extended features.
Introducing a novel approach to enhance the spatial resolution of microscopy images, the DPR technique offers a versatile and user-friendly solution that significantly enhances image clarity while sidestepping common noise-related issues. This positions it as an invaluable tool for a diverse range of scientific applications.
Because of its ease of use, speed, and versatility, we believe DPR can be of general utility to the bio-imaging community.
Jerome Mertz, Study Senior Author, Professor, and Director, Biomicroscopy Laboratory, Boston University
Journal Reference:
Zhao, B & Mertz, J (2023) Resolution enhancement with deblurring by pixel reassignment. Advanced Photonics. doi.org/10.1117/1.AP.5.6.066004.