Lew Lab @ WashU

Nuclear speckle proteins form intrinsic and MALAT1-dependent microphases Pre-mRNA processing components in nuclear speckles encompass one or more folded RNA recognition motifs (RRMs) and disordered regions with specific seq…

Nuclear speckle associated RRM-containing proteins are block copolymers. They make size-limited, ordered microphases, tens of nm in size comprising tens of molecules. Speckles are likely clusters or emulsions of distinct microphases and not macrophases www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Very happy to share this news of my election to become an #OpticaFellow. I'm grateful to my many students and mentors over the years. Happy Thanksgiving!

Single-molecule orientation and localization microscopy - Nature Photonics The Review discusses recent advances in single-molecule orientation and localization microscopy (SMOLM) along with remaining challenges and promises for future developments of the field.

Happy to share our recent review in @natphoton.nature.com on #singlemolecule #orientation #localization #microscopy, co-authored with Sophie Brasselet @cnrs.fr @institutfresnel.bsky.social. See molecule motions and rotations in action! doi.org/10.1038/s415... @washuengineers.bsky.social @washu.edu

Brian Sun portrait

Congratulations to Brian Sun @brian_smtt, who was awarded a 2025-26 #WashU #ISP fellowship! @washumedicine.bsky.social @washuengineers.bsky.social @washu.edu

The CDC Data Project In the proposed FY26 budget, programs that help Americans live safer, healthier, longer lives are on the chopping block.

Thx again ‪@joshtpm.bsky.social‬ for sharing to our feed...THIS is the critical data needed to fuel our fight to stop Trump regimists from killing millions of American w/ their criminal cuts to agencies like #CDC.

zurl.co/uJUDQ

Fight back with us here zurl.co/TLiCg

#StandUpForScience
#SaveCDC

Fitness seascapes are necessary for realistic modeling of the evolutionary response to drug therapy Computational and experimental studies of drug resistance evolution give insights into why some bacteria become resistant.

Big shout out to rising M4 and CWRU MSTP student Eshan King - whose paper came out in @aaas.org Science Advances. connecting the fields of PK-PD and evolutionary modeling using fitness seascapes. #mathevo #mathonco

@cbo.bsky.social @sandyanderson.bsky.social

www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Now in print: our study using single #fluorogenic molecules to probe the network architecture within #biomolecular #condensates with @rohitpappu68.bsky.social @washuengineers.bsky.social . Teaser video below. Read the full article at doi.org/10.1038/s415... #singlemolecule

"A new polarized dual-view inverted selective-plane illumination microscope (pol-diSPIM), coupled with engineering insights provided by its imaging model, offers an exciting way forward." Matt's commentary is online in PNAS doi.org/10.1073/pnas...

Yiyang will speak at 9:15 AM on “Combining Excitation and Emission Modulation Resolves the Angular Separation between a Pair of #DipoleEmitters” (NM1C.4).

- Matt will speak at 8:00 AM on “ #SingleMolecule #Orientation #Localization #Microscopy: New Approaches and Applications” (NM1C.1).
- Yiyang will speak at 9:15 AM on “Combining Excitation and Emission Modulation Resolves the Angular Separation between a Pair of #DipoleEmitters” (NM1C.4).

We will be at “ #Optica Biophotonics Congress: Optics in the Life Sciences” in Coronado, CA, tomorrow! Yiyang and Matt will be speaking in the #Superresolution (NM1C) session on Monday morning, April 21, in the Aurora room.
www.optica.org/events/congr...

A wonderful collaboration between us, @rohitpappu68.bsky.social and the Knowles lab is now online, exploring anisotropies of molecules at the interfaces of RNA condensates! Congratulations Nadia, Mina, and Yuanxin! @washuengineers.bsky.social @washu.bsky.social

Read the Letter Researchers at academic institutions nationwide say that U.S. science is being dismantled.

TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE #sciencesky www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

Read our article here: doi.org/10.1103/Phys...

In molecular imaging, details matter Matthew Lew and Yiyang Chen developed a new method to improve precision in molecular imaging

Nice coverage of our recent #PhysicalReviewLetter by @shawnballard.bsky.social "In molecular imaging, details matter" @washuengineers.bsky.social
engineering.washu.edu/news/2025/In...

This semesters Biophysical Evening seminar will be given by Matthew Lew, Professor in Electrical & Systems Engineering at WashU

"Single-Molecule Orientation-Localization Microscopy: New Challenges and Biophysical Insights"

Thurs, March 20th 4-5 PM, Connor Auditorium

Single-fluorogen imaging reveals distinct environmental and structural features of biomolecular condensates - Nature Physics Experiments confirm the prediction that fluid-like biomolecular condensates are defined by spatially inhomogeneous organization of the underlying molecules.

"Single-flurogen" is key, allows them to view condensate hubs that are normally a needle in a haystack to find. The use of a single chemical probe means they don't get conflicting signals. 🧪
www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Thanks @leahshaffer.bsky.social for your wonderful coverage of our collaborative work with @rohitpappu68.bsky.social ! @washuengineers.bsky.social #singlemolecule

It's a pleasure to see this collaborative work with the Pappu lab @rohitpappu68.bsky.social in print! @washu.bsky.social @washuengineers.bsky.social

With bsky.app/profile/lewl... we peered into condensates using single fluorogen imaging. Nanoscale hubs form, move, & disassemble on a range of timescales. A structural basis for condensate viscoelasticity. Need to rethink popular ideas. #Condensates≠simple-liquids
www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Label-free Single Molecule Sensing -- the first conference in this Gordon Research Conference series. Outstanding distinguished invited speaker program just announced: www.grc.org/label-free-s...
Submit your applications early!
#singlemolecule #labelfree

What happens when you use a #polarization #microscope to look at a pair of molecules? They look like a #wobbling #singlemolecule! No microscope can tell the difference!

Happy to share #YiyangChen17 's article in #PhysRevLett! What happens when you use a #polarization #microscope to look at a pair of molecules? They look like a #wobbling #singlemolecule! No 🔬 can tell the difference! doi.org/10.1103/Phys... @washu.bsky.social @washuengineers.bsky.social

Why we organized ‘Stand Up For Science’ - Nature Human Behaviour In the USA, the Trump administration has signed executive orders that impose censorship on key areas of scientific research, strip government scientists of their jobs and reduce federal funding for sc...

In this Q&A, we asked why they organized Stand Up for Science. Here are the answers:
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
@leslie-bern.bsky.social
@emmalovesscience.bsky.social
@cdelawalla.bsky.social
@jpflores.bsky.social
@samschuelstein.bsky.social
@standupforscience.bsky.social

Fake papers are contaminating the world’s scientific literature, fueling a corrupt industry and slowing legitimate lifesaving medical research ‘Paper mills’ are contaminating the world’s scholarly output with fake papers that hinder research. Lifesaving biomedical fields are especially hard hit.

Scary statistics:

Fake papers are contaminating the world’s scientific literature, fueling a corrupt industry and slowing legitimate lifesaving medical research theconversation.com/fake-papers-...

Perhaps W. E. is getting royalties? @samjlord.bsky.social @juliebiteenlab.bsky.social @weisslab.bsky.social @mauriceylee.bsky.social

Six-dimensional single-molecule imaging with isotropic resolution using a multi-view reflector microscope - Nature Photonics A multi-view reflector microscope based on polarization modulation and pupil splitting enables single-molecule orientation-localization microscopy with precisions of 10.9 nm and 2.0°.

The bottom image is from our multi-view microscope work, showing amyloid aggregate infiltration of a spherical lipid bilayer: doi.org/10.1038/s415...

POLCAM: instant molecular orientation microscopy for the life sciences - Nature Methods Combining localization and polarization microscopy can yield detailed insights into subcellular structures. POLCAM uses a polarization camera and wide-field microscopy for rapid measurement of super-r...

Top-right image is from Ezra and the Lee lab's beautiful POLCAM work of actin fiber networks. The POLCAM software is much easier to use than full PSF fitting: doi.org/10.1038/s415...

Merry Christmas! Our newest review of #singlemolecule #orientation localization microscopy is now online in #qrb. doi.org/10.1017/S003... We hope it is useful to users and technologists alike! @washu.bsky.social #WashU

“I look forward to continuing my career as a perpetual student.” Portrait of Nobel Laureate W.E. Moerner for the @nationalacademies.org #NewHeroes

Getting started #singlemolecule go.bsky.app/CteFZM5

Single-Molecule Orientation Imaging Reveals the Nano-Architecture of Amyloid Fibrils Undergoing Growth and Decay https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.03.24.586510v1 Amyloid-beta (A{beta}42) aggregates are characteristic signatures of Alzheimer's disease, but probin

Single-Molecule Orientation Imaging Reveals the Nano-Architecture of Amyloid Fibrils Undergoing Growth and Decay https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.03.24.586510v1