IISc develops enhanced DNA-PAINT imaging for multiplexed nanoscale visualization in cancer cells
Updated
Updated · BIOENGINEER.ORG · Apr 24
IISc develops enhanced DNA-PAINT imaging for multiplexed nanoscale visualization in cancer cells
5 articles · Updated · BIOENGINEER.ORG · Apr 24
The new technique enables simultaneous imaging of up to 12 biomolecules in the nucleus of cancer cells, achieving 3-5 nanometer resolution in less than four hours.
Engineered DNA tags with improved binding kinetics reduce photodamage and photobleaching, allowing rapid, high-quality imaging of nuclear proteins and their spatial organization during cellular processes such as transcriptional inhibition.
This advancement provides unprecedented molecular maps for early disease detection and insights into gene regulation, chromatin architecture, and cellular responses, marking a significant leap for spatial omics and Super-resolution microscopy.
Could the DNA 'paint' used for cell imaging also be used to build nanoscale machines?
How soon can this ultra-resolution imaging move from research labs to standard hospital diagnostics?
Can this 3nm cellular map spot cancer biomarkers before a tumor even forms?
Now that we can capture nanometer-scale cell data, do we have the AI to understand it?
With this leap in resolution, how will our fundamental definition of a 'healthy' cell change?
What is the next barrier to creating a complete, real-time map of the entire human cell?
IISc Advances DNA-PAINT to Map 12 Cancer Nuclear Biomolecules in Under Four Hours at Near-Molecular Resolution
Overview
In April 2026, researchers at the Indian Institute of Science developed an advanced DNA-PAINT microscopy technique that can simultaneously image up to 12 nuclear biomolecules at an ultra-high resolution of 3-5 nanometers. This breakthrough was made possible by optimizing DNA strand binding kinetics and introducing a universal adapter system, which dramatically increased imaging speed—allowing nine targets to be visualized in under four hours—and reduced photodamage to living cancer cells. The technique enables detailed mapping of nuclear organization, revealing dynamic changes such as chromatin reorganization during transcription inhibition. Its rapid, multiplexed imaging holds great promise for cancer research, early diagnosis, live-cell studies, and applications across neurodegenerative disease and virology.