1. Why did you choose to purchase this instrument?

When the engineer gave a demonstration in our laboratory, we found that the STEDYCON could stably produce super-resolution images with very easy operation. Compared with other types of super-resolution microscopes, biology students with confocal experience could obtain fluorescence images with a resolution of tens of nanometers after less than an hour of simple training, and the imaging quality was far superior to conventional confocal microscopes. During the on-site demo, we had already achieved high-quality imaging results with it. Based on these excellent practical experiences, we finally decided to purchase the STEDYCON system.

2. What conveniences has it brought to you since purchase? Which features impressed you the most?

Since we bought the STEDYCON, it has been frequently used by students in our research group. To my knowledge, students are generally very satisfied with its resolution. Previously, we mainly performed immunofluorescence observations on plant samples using conventional fluorescence microscopes or confocal microscopes. After adopting STEDYCON, we were able to stably obtain cellular details that could not be resolved by conventional microscopy, without extensive adjustments to sample preparation. In addition, everyone is highly satisfied with the tiling function and the feature of freely and quickly selecting the XY focal plane by drawing lines along the Z-axis

3. What specific problems that were difficult to solve with conventional imaging has your research group addressed using STED super-resolution microscopy? Are there any typical practical examples you can share?

Since purchasing the STEDYCON system, we have successfully resolved the fine structure of the rice synaptonemal complex. Previously, such structures could only be well observed using transmission electron microscopy, but they can now be easily obtained with STEDYCON. Moreover, it is more compatible with various antibodies, which is highly beneficial for elucidating the biological functions of different proteins.

4. Publication

1. Cao, L., Zhao, Y., You, H. et al. (2026), Augmented CENH3 loading is accompanied by transcriptional and epigenetic reprogramming at rice centromeres during meiosis. Genome Biol., 27, 130
2. Zhao, Y., Wang, B., Pang, Y. et al. (2026), The telomere-binding protein KU is required for DSB repair in rice mitosis but not in meiosis. New Phytol.
3. Yang, S., Wang, Y., Zhao, Y. et al. (2025), Harnessing Meiotic Crossover Control to Enhance Crop Breeding Efficiency. Crop J. 13:1663-1671.
4. Zhao, Y., Ren, L., Zhao, T. et al. (2024), SCC3 is an axial element essential for homologous chromosome pairing and synapsis. eLife, 13:RP94180.
5. Zhou, Y., Li, Y., You, H. et al. (2024), Kinesin-1-like protein PSS1 is essential for full-length homologous pairing and synapsis in rice meiosis. Plant J, 120: 928-940.

Dear Dr. Li,

I am Jing Jing, the head of the Imaging Instrument Platform at the Medical Research Institute of Wuhan University. I would like to express our sincere gratitude to abberior and its Chinese agent, Optofem Company, for their consistent and excellent after-sales support regarding our STEDYCON instrument.

As requested by your company, I am pleased to share our experiences and impressions of using the STEDYCON system. Here are a few key points:

1. Why did we choose to purchase this instrument?

In 2022, when abberior’s application engineers installed the STEDYCON demo unit in our laboratory, we found the instrument exceptionally user-friendly. For our users—primarily biomedical researchers with prior experience in laser scanning confocal microscopy—the learning curve was remarkably smooth. When acquiring images in STED mode, we were able to quickly obtain fluorescence images with resolutions on the order of tens of nanometers, far surpassing conventional confocal limits, without needing to delve into complex optical configurations or intricate settings. It was a great pleasure to be able to focus our efforts entirely on experimental design and sample preparation, rather than on mastering a complicated instrument.
Furthermore, even during the demo period, several research groups achieved excellent imaging results with it. Consequently, our decision to purchase the STEDYCON was a natural one.

2. What conveniences has it brought after purchase, and which features have impressed us?

Since our platform acquired the STEDYCON in the summer of 2023, it has been in frequent use by numerous research groups. Beyond its simplicity and low operational learning cost, users have enjoyed several other beneficial features. For instance, the ability to swiftly switch between XY-plane and Z-stack image acquisition by simply selecting different positions or focal planes via rapid line scanning is fantastic. This functionality is particularly valuable for observing the localization and dynamics of subcellular organelles or fine spatial structures from a more microscopic and high-resolution perspective. From my perspective as the platform manager, the prompt and efficient remote technical support provided by Abberior’s engineers is also a highly convenient design. Their ability to quickly diagnose and resolve both software and hardware issues online ensures minimal downtime and maintains the instrument’s high operational efficiency.

3. What achievements and publications have resulted from using this instrument?

We are pleased to note that, since acquiring this instrument, researchers from Wuhan University and other institutions have used it to publish results and papers across various fields. These include, but are not limited to, cell biology, virology, oral diseases, botany, model organisms, and cancer research (a partial list is provided below). Users have been particularly impressed by the STED technology’s outstanding performance in studying co-localization between different cellular proteins, even between lipid droplets, and in “visualizing” at the scale of tens of nanometers data that was previously obtained only through biochemical methods.

Sincerely,

Dr. Jing Jing

Deputy Director, Instrument Sharing Center & Head of Imaging Platform
Medical Research Institute, Wuhan University

“As early adopters, we were impressed with STEDYCON from the very beginning—particularly by the combination of a relatively easy configured system and a barrier-free entry into the world of super-resolution microscopy.

For over eight years now, the system has consistently convinced our researchers with its high stability and exceptionally user-friendly operation. The results, achieving resolutions down to 35 nm, have continuously provided valuable and insightful data for our chromosome biology research.

The combination of super-resolution data with comparative confocal images represents a significant added value for researchers and substantially expands analytical capabilities.

It is also worth highlighting the highly professional service team, which has stood out over the years for its fast response times and outstanding expertise. Finally, a real benefit also for a centralized facility to keep the system almost down-time-free over the years and thus available for researchers.”

Josef Gotzmann, Ph.D.

Central Facility BioOptics
Scientific Manager Section Light Microscopy
Max Perutz Labs Support Ges.m.b.H.
Vienna, Austria

Professor Zhing Chen

Peking University,
Beijing, PRC