Application of BALM (binding activated localization microcopy) was shown to allow facile imaging of amyloid fibrils with a typical diameter of similar to 14 nm FWHM. We also observed a twisted ribbon-like substructure of mutant amyloid fibrils and even what appear to be toxic amyloid oligomers with their characteristic morphological features consistent with TEM images. Use of an easily available staining dye in this method greatly enhances the prospect of addressing amyloid-related diseases in their diagnosis and drug tests by allowing facile in situ and in vivo detection by optical imaging. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.