Real-time GPU-based 3D Deconvolution

Confocal microscopy is an oft-used technique in biology. Deconvolution of 3D images reduces blurring from out-of-focus light and enables quantitative analyses, but existing software for deconvolution is slow and expensive. We present a parallelized software method that runs within ImageJ and deconvolves 3D images ~100 times faster than conventional software (few seconds per image) by running on a low-cost graphics processor board (GPU). We demonstrate the utility of this software by analyzing microclusters of T cell receptors in the immunological synapse of a CD4 + T cell and dendritic cell. This software provides a low-cost and rapid way to improve the accuracy of 3D microscopic images obtained by any method.