# Achieving single cell acoustic localisation with deactivation super resolution

## TL;DR

This paper introduces a new ultrasound technique called DSR that can precisely locate individual cells by using genetically engineered contrast agents, surpassing the resolution of traditional imaging methods.

## Contribution

The novel DSR method uses gas vesicles to achieve super-resolution ultrasound imaging of individual cells.

## Key findings

- DSR can resolve sub-wavelength microstructures that standard B-mode ultrasound cannot.
- Genetically engineered cells expressing gas vesicles enable acoustic contrast for cell localization.
- The study demonstrates a proof of concept for DSR as a super-resolution ultrasound technique.

## Abstract

Photo-activated localization microscopy (PALM) has been a game-changer, breaking the diffraction limit in spatial resolution. This study presents the Deactivation Super Resolution (DSR) method, which utilises the deactivation of genetically encodable contrast agents, enabling us to super-resolve and pinpoint individual cells with ultrasound as they navigate through structures which cannot be resolved by conventional B-Mode imaging. DSR takes advantage of Gas Vesicles (GVs), which are air-filled sub-micron particles that have been expressed in genetically engineered bacterial and mammalian cells to produce acoustic contrast. Our experimental results show that DSR can distinguish sub-wavelength microstructures that standard B-mode ultrasound images fail to resolve by super-localising individual mammalian cells. This study provides a proof of concept for the potential of DSR to serve as a super-resolution ultrasound technique for individual cell localisation, opening new horizons in the field.