Bridging the nanoscopy-immunology gap

Abstract

Bridging the gap between traditional immunology and nanoscale biophysics has proved more difficult than originally thought. For cell biology applications however, super-resolution microscopy has already facilitated considerable advances. From neuronal segmentation to nuclear pores and 3D focal adhesion structure-nanoscopy has begun to illuminate links between nanoscale organization and function. With immunology, the explanation must go further, relating nanoscale biophysical phenomena to the manifestation of specific diseases, or the altered activity of specific immune cell types in a bodily compartment. What follows is a summary of how nanoscopy has elucidated single cell immunological function, and what might be achieved in the future to link quantifiable, nanoscale, biophysical phenomena with cell and whole tissue functionality. We explore where the gaps in our understanding occur, and how they might be addressed.