bioRxiv · 10.64898/2026.10.18.759815
Super-resolution imaging flow cytometry
Abstract
Organelle architecture is a key determinant of cellular state. However, its heterogeneity remains difficult to quantify at population scale because conventional imaging flow cytometry is diffraction-limited. Here we present super-resolution imaging flow cytometry (SR-IFC), a high-throughput structured-illumination platform combining stroboscopic excitation, microfluidic hydrodynamic focusing and AI-assisted reconstruction. From three phase-shifted frames acquired along the flow axis, SR-IFC reconstructs images with approximately 118-nm isotropic in-plane resolution, about two-fold beyond the diffraction limit, at up to approximately 720 cells per second. In microbiology, SR-IFC resolves individual lipid droplets in nitrogen-starved Euglena gracilis and reveals spatial reorganization during lipid biogenesis missed by diffraction-limited imaging. In immunology, it maps activation-associated mitochondrial remodeling across primary human CD8+ T-cell differentiation, including a transient networked state. SR-IFC thus provides a broadly applicable platform for population-scale super-resolution phenotyping across diverse areas of biology.
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Luo, Y., Ding, T., Liu, Y., Zhao, Y., Wang, H., Nishikawa, M., Ishino, T., Togashi, Y., Siegel, T. N., Goda, K.. 2026-10-20. Super-resolution imaging flow cytometry. https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.10.18.759815
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