Washington University in St Louis

The Preston M. Green Department of
Electrical & Systems Engineering

We build novel imaging technologies

Lew Lab group photo

The Lew Lab builds advanced imaging systems to study biological and chemical systems at the nanoscale. Our technology leverages innovations in applied optics, signal and image processing, design optimization, and physical chemistry. We partner with scientists and engineers across all disciplines to develop technologies to solve unmet needs in science, medicine, and society.

Diversity fosters creative ideas to challenging problems

Lew Lab diversity and inclusion
Poster courtesy of sammykatta.com/diversity.

The Lew Lab is a team of inventors, thinkers, and problem solvers working at the intersection of science and technology.

Meet our team

Creating impactful technology is our passion

We invent advanced nanoscopes with nanometer resolution that visualize single molecules in biological and chemical systems. [WebM - 48 MB]
Our novel microscopes robustly measure the 3D positions and 3D orientations of single fluorescent molecules using very little light. [WEBM - 13.0 MB]
Deep learning helps us robustly image molecules' positions and orientations using only 2D camera images with incredible speed and accuracy. [MP4 - 3.97 MB]
Our imaging systems resolve the nanoscale architecture of amyloid peptide aggregates, a key signature of Alzheimer's disease. [WebM - 20.3 MB]
Learn more about our research

Lab news

Sam Kang, Microscopy Control and Calibration Mapping System Sam presented his summer research at the fall 2024 Undergraduate Research Symposium!

Congratulations to Ezra and colleagues in the Lee Lab at the University of Cambridge! Their work on simple and computationally efficient molecular orientation microscopy is now online in Nature Methods! It was a saga getting this work completed. Thank you, Oumeng, for demonstrating the accuracy of RoSE-O in analyzing these data!
- Read it here: “POLCAM: instant molecular orientation microscopy for the life sciences”

Fundamental Limits in Measuring the Anisotropic Rotational Diffusion of Single MoleculesWeiyan's study of how noise-induced errors limit the accuracy of measuring how molecules “wobble” in 3 dimensions is now online in J. Phys. Chem. A!
- Read it here: “Fundamental Limits in Measuring the Anisotropic Rotational Diffusion of Single Molecules”
- Our work is covered in McKelvey Engineering News: “Wobbly molecules get a closer look”
Anisotropic rotational diffusion of single molecules, represented here by magenta dipoles wobbling within cyan elliptical cones, can be measured using a fluorescence microscope. However, photon shot noise within these images (bottom) causes each measured cone to vary in shape. (Image credit: Matthew D. Lew)- Update: Weiyan's article is featured as a cover of Volume 128, Issue 28 of J. Phys. Chem. A!

Single-Molecule Orientation Imaging Reveals the Nano-Architecture of Amyloid Fibrils Undergoing Growth and DecayBrian's study on using the binding orientations of Nile blue to decipher the architectures of growing, decaying, and remodeling amyloid-beta fibrils is now online in Nano Lett.!
- Read it here: “Single-Molecule Orientation Imaging Reveals the Nano-Architecture of Amyloid Fibrils Undergoing Growth and Decay”
- Read the accompanying news article, “WashU researchers shine light on amyloid architecture,” in The Source!

More news...