MDI Biological Laboratory

10/18/2024 | News release | Distributed by Public on 10/18/2024 08:27

MDI Bio Lab Imaging Experts Take Top Honors in National Contest

Microscopy

MDI Bio Lab Imaging Experts Take Top Honors in National Contest

  • October 18, 2024
Images taken in the Light Microscopy Facility have become a staple in the annual awards judged by Bioimaging North America (BINA)

Scientists and staff at MDI Bio Lab use the sophisticated imaging equipment in its Light Microscopy Facility to illuminate nature's secrets - and its beauty. And as the LMF's array of leading-edge instrumentation grows, staff are increasingly winning recognition for the work. This year they were well represented in Bioimaging North America's annual contest, starting with Travis D. Carney, Ph.D., a Senior Research Scientist in the Shcherbata Lab who took first place with his image of a Drosophila melanogaster fruit fly, "Sweet Embryo".

"The image depicts a fruit fly embryo stained with a fluorescent antibody that recognizes Fasciclin 3 (Fas3), a cell adhesion molecule. Many of the cell-cell junctions throughout the embryo are visible. … The colors represent different depths within the three-dimensional embryo."

Hannah Somers, Research Assistant in the Haller Lab, won third place with her image of a moth, "I love lamp".

"This is a reflected light image of a moth which had been trapped in a spider web," Somers says. "I found it very beautiful and wanted to bring it to life again one more time through imaging. Small creatures are often overlooked, and I enjoy displaying their beauty via microscopy."

Marko Pende, Ph.D., a postdoctoral researcher in the Murawala Lab and an expert in tissue-clearing, won honorable mention for his image of a mouse embryo, "Arising Nervous System".

And in addition, BINA recognized the Light Microscopy Facility a fourth year in a row for making the most contributions to the contest - an indicator of the LMF users' passion for bioimaging excellence, and of the capacities of the facility's growing set of advanced microscopy resources, which are accessible to scientists throughout the region.

"This award highlights a lot of positive things about our approach to microscopy," says LMF Director Frederic Bonnet, Ph.D. "It's about excellence, education, standardization, community, and interaction between our users. This is very important and unique for an institute like ours."

The facility is funded by the National Institutes of Health's National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) and by MDI Bio Lab's community of philanthropic supporters. Earlier this year a renewal of an NIGMS resource grant provided new funding for further expansion of the LMF's capacity and researchers' access. And in 2025 MDI Bio Lab will become the new host for the prestigious, week-long Light Sheet and Fluorescence Microscopy Conference, formerly held at the University of Chicago's Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, Massachusetts.

BINA is a volunteer organization that brings together bioscience image makers from research and academic institutes, pharmaceutical companies and equipment manufacturers to share knowledge, collaborate, and foster best practices and rigor in microscopy.

More images submitted by MDI Bio Lab users of the LMF.

Caramai Kamei and Omodasola Adekeye. Neuromasts in the zebrafish lateral line contain hair cells that sense movement and water flow like a satellite dish receiving signals from space Caramai Kamei. This image is taken at the cloaca where excretion from the gut and kidney are taking place Caramai Kamei. A regenerating new nephron formed after kidney injury is starting to filter blood and shows tiny vesicles labeled with dextran compared to large vesicles in existing nephrons.
Hannah Somers. Endothelial cells interwoven with Laminin in a renal organoid. Travis Carney. Drosophila male reproductive system: paired coiled testes, seminal vesicles, and accessory glands, and a single ejaculatory duct. Anindita Neog. This confocal microscopy image presents a detailed view of the retina in a 5-day post-fertilization (5dpf) zebrafish larva. The green staining highlights the developing hyaloid vasculature, while the magenta staining marks the pericytes, which are associated with the blood vessels.
Frederic Bonnet. In this imaginative interpretation, the vibrant microscopic textures evoke the metaphysical chaos of the Warhammer 40K universe's immaterium - the extra dimensional realm of psychic energy and untamed psychic phenomena. Caroline Halluin. This is the head of a zebrafish larva at 5 days old. Neurons, nerves, synapses and sight in the larval zebrafish: retinal ganglion neurons project the optic nerve into the fish's brain, enabling synaptic connections and functions. Frederic Bonnet. This mesmerizing image reveals the glowing, fiery pathways within renal glomeruli - the intricate filtering units of the kidney.
Hannah Somers and Anastasia Paulmann. Blood vessels labeled in an African Turquoise Killifish. Travis Carney. Neurons in the brain of a fruit fly larva. Frederic Bonnet. Crab found on the beach near MDI Bio Lab in Salisbury Cove, Maine.