Zero-shot learning enables instant denoising and super-resolution in optical fluorescence microscopy

Nat Commun. 2024 May 16;15(1):4180. doi: 10.1038/s41467-024-48575-9.

Abstract

Computational super-resolution methods, including conventional analytical algorithms and deep learning models, have substantially improved optical microscopy. Among them, supervised deep neural networks have demonstrated outstanding performance, however, demanding abundant high-quality training data, which are laborious and even impractical to acquire due to the high dynamics of living cells. Here, we develop zero-shot deconvolution networks (ZS-DeconvNet) that instantly enhance the resolution of microscope images by more than 1.5-fold over the diffraction limit with 10-fold lower fluorescence than ordinary super-resolution imaging conditions, in an unsupervised manner without the need for either ground truths or additional data acquisition. We demonstrate the versatile applicability of ZS-DeconvNet on multiple imaging modalities, including total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy, three-dimensional wide-field microscopy, confocal microscopy, two-photon microscopy, lattice light-sheet microscopy, and multimodal structured illumination microscopy, which enables multi-color, long-term, super-resolution 2D/3D imaging of subcellular bioprocesses from mitotic single cells to multicellular embryos of mouse and C. elegans.

MeSH terms

  • Algorithms
  • Animals
  • Caenorhabditis elegans* / embryology
  • Deep Learning
  • Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / methods
  • Imaging, Three-Dimensional / methods
  • Mice
  • Microscopy, Fluorescence* / methods