FILM published in Nature Methods
We are excited to share that our FILM method, developed by Jianpeng Ao, has been published in Nature Methods. FILM (fluorescence-detected mid-infrared photothermal microscopy) enables organelle-resolved metabolic imaging in living cells and organisms by combining fluorescence imaging with vibrational spectroscopy. Using optical boxcar demodulation together with AI-assisted denoising and spectral analysis, the method allows high-resolution mapping of metabolic activity and chemical composition within individual organelles in their native cellular context.
This work was made possible through a interdisciplinary collaboration within our lab, including our Raman group, which specializes in vibrational spectroscopy and chemical imaging approaches. Together, the study demonstrates how integrating advanced photothermal imaging, spectroscopy, and computational analysis can uncover previously inaccessible aspects of lysosomal metabolism, aging, and disease biology at the organelle level.