Creating coveted bioluminescence colors for simultaneous multi-color bioimaging

Bioluminescence, an optical marker that does not require excitation by light, allows researchers to simultaneously observe multiple targets, each exhibiting a different color. Notably, the colors of the bioluminescent proteins must sufficiently vary to enable simultaneous detection. Here, we aimed to introduce a method that can be used to expand the color variation by tuning dual-acceptor bioluminescence resonance energy transfer. Using this approach, we could visualize multiple targets with up to 20 colors through single-shot acquisition using a color complementary metal-oxide semiconductor camera. Overall, this method enables simple and simultaneous observation of multiple biological targets and phenomena.