Optical Slices of Life Confocal microscopy enables researchers to obtain high-resolution, serial
optical sections from live specimens By Julia Boguslavsky
Confocal microscopy, a decades-old technique,1 has experienced a relatively recent explosion in
popularity. The technology's greatest impact has been felt in the life sciences, where its ability
to generate crystal-clear images of biological structures and to monitor changes in living samples
in real time enables functional analysis of biological processes.
The key advantage of the confocal principle is the ability to collect high-resolution, serial
optical sections from thick specimens. That stands in stark contrast to traditional microscopic
techniques. In conventional widefield optical microscopy, secondary fluorescence can interfere with
the resolution of the features of interest, particularly in specimens more than 2 µm thick. Confocal
microscopy addresses this issue by positioning a pinhole in front of the detector to remove out-of-
focus light.
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