Single-Shot Light-Field Microscopy: An Emerging Tool for 3D Biomedical Imaging

3D microscopy is a useful tool to visualize the detailed structures and mechanisms of biomedical specimens. In particular, biophysical phenomena such as neural activity require fast 3D volumetric imaging because fluorescence signals degrade quickly. A light-field microscope (LFM) has recently attracted attention as a high-speed volumetric imaging technique by recording 3D information in a single-snapshot. This review highlighted recent progress in LFM techniques for 3D biomedical applications. In detail, various image reconstruction algorithms according to LFM configurations are explained, and several biomedical applications such as neuron activity localization, live-cell imaging, locomotion analysis, and single-molecule visualization are introduced. We also discuss deep learning-based LFMs to enhance image resolution and reduce reconstruction artifacts.