The group of Kenji NAGAI at Osaka University Institute of Industrial Science which had developed a nano-lantern protein in 2012, enhanced the brightness of this protein by a factor 2 – 10 and modified the protein to provide five colors. Using these markers, five fine structures inside a cell, e. g., an iPS cell, could be measured simultaneously. The lanthanum-based chemistry does not require excitation light from the outside and thus does lead to autofluorescence or phototoxicity.”

JST news release, December 14, 2016