A review in Nature Reviews Methods Primers presents a comprehensive overview of interferometric scattering (iSCAT) microscopy, a label-free optical technique that has rapidly advanced over the past two decades. The article details the theoretical foundations of iSCAT, including its sensitivity to subwavelength scatterers, instrumentation strategies, and signal analysis methods. Key applications are highlighted, ranging from single-protein mass sensing and nanoparticle characterization to ultrafast energy transport in solids and dynamic imaging in live cells. The review also examines current limitations, such as speckle background and material specificity, and outlines potential improvements through novel optical designs and data analysis approaches. This review serves as an in-depth resource for researchers interested in applying or developing iSCAT for use across fields including physics, biology, chemistry, and materials science.

Ginsberg et al. Nature Reviews Methods Primers 5, 23 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s43586-025-00391-1