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research article

Self-driving microscopy detects the onset of protein aggregation and enables intelligent Brillouin imaging

Ibrahim, Khalid A.  
•
Cathala, Camille  
•
Bevilacqua, Carlo
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July 24, 2025
Nature Communications

The process of protein aggregation, central to neurodegenerative diseases like Huntington’s, is challenging to study due to its unpredictable nature and relatively rapid kinetics. Understanding its biomechanics is crucial for unraveling its role in disease progression and cellular toxicity. Brillouin microscopy offers unique advantages for studying biomechanical properties, yet is limited by slow imaging speed, complicating its use for rapid and dynamic processes like protein aggregation. To overcome these limitations, we developed a self-driving microscope that uses deep learning to predict the onset of aggregation from a single fluorescence image of soluble protein, achieving 91% accuracy. The system triggers optimized multimodal imaging when aggregation is imminent, enabling intelligent Brillouin microscopy of this dynamic biomechanical process. Furthermore, we demonstrate that by detecting mature aggregates in real time using brightfield images and a neural network, Brillouin microscopy can be used to study their biomechanical properties without the need for fluorescence labeling, minimizing phototoxicity and preserving sample health. This autonomous microscopy approach advances the study of aggregation kinetics and biomechanics in living cells, offering a powerful tool for investigating the role of protein misfolding and aggregation in neurodegeneration.

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Type
research article
DOI
10.1038/s41467-025-60912-0
Author(s)
Ibrahim, Khalid A.  

École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne

Cathala, Camille  

École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne

Bevilacqua, Carlo

European Molecular Biology Laboratory

Feletti, Lely  

École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne

Prevedel, Robert

German Center for Lung Research

Lashuel, Hilal A.  

École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne

Rađenović, Aleksandra  

École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne

Date Issued

2025-07-24

Publisher

Springer Science and Business Media LLC

Published in
Nature Communications
Volume

16

Issue

1

Article Number

6699

Editorial or Peer reviewed

REVIEWED

Written at

EPFL

EPFL units
LBEN  
LTS5  
LMNN  
FunderFunding(s)Grant NumberGrant URL

Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung

CRSII5_193740

Available on Infoscience
July 29, 2025
Use this identifier to reference this record
https://infoscience.epfl.ch/handle/20.500.14299/252681
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