A QUANTUM LEAP IN LIVE CELL IMAGING: Advanced Bio-Luminescence Microscopy

Although the concept of bio-luminescence microscopy (BLM) is not a novel one, the recent advances introduced with new specialised imaging systems have made it a more realistic procedure. BLM represents a quantum leap in microscopy since, as its name suggests, it uses luminescence rather than fluorescence. This may not seem like a big deal initially, but luminescence has a range of benefits over fluorescence. For example luminescence does not bleach the sample and is not toxic either, which makes imaging much more suitable to live cells and organisms as well as for long term imaging.