Closed-loop optogenetic control of cell biology enables outcome-driven microscopy
- Josiah B. Passmore
- Alfredo Rates
- Jakob Schröder
- Menno T. P. van Laarhoven
- Vincent J. W. Hellebrekers
- Henrik G. van Hoef
- Antonius J. M. Geurts
- Wendy van Straaten
- Wilco Nijenhuis
- Florian Berger
- Carlas S. Smith
- Ihor Smal
- Lukas C. Kapitein
2025-12-23
Smart microscopy is transforming biological imaging by integrating real-time analysis with adaptive acquisition to enhance imaging efficiency. Whereas many emerging implementations are event-driven and focus on on-demand data acquisition to reduce phototoxicity, we here present ‘outcome-driven’ microscopy, a framework combining smart microscopy with optogenetics to control cell biological processes and achieve predefined outcomes. We validate this approach using light-based control of cell migration and nucleocytoplasmic transport, demonstrating robust spatiotemporal control of cellular behaviour in single cells and in cell populations.