Imaging Competition Winners Announced


GE Healthcare has announced the winners of its 2013 Cell Imaging Competition as Vanessa Auld from Canada, 1st Place Microscopy Category: Martin Barr from Ireland, 1st Place High-Content Analysis category and Graham Wright from Singapore, Regional Winner (Microscopy Category). Over 23,000 votes were cast by the public and the winning images will be seen lighting up Times Square at a special event to be held during 25-27 April 2014.


For seven years, GE Healthcare’s annual competition has showcased the beauty of cells and the inspiring research of cellular biologists from around the world. This year’s competition attracted over 100 entries from scientists who are using either high-content analysis or high- and super resolution microscopy to investigate at the cellular level a wide variety of diseases such as cancer, muscle disease and the effects of parasitic infections. An expert scientific panel of six judges shortlisted the finalists for each category ahead of the public vote.


Eric Roman, General Manager of Research and Applied Markets, GE Healthcare Life Sciences, said: “This year’s three winning images are once again incredibly beautiful and compelling, reminding us of the cellular complexity behind disease and why the study of cells is so important. We were delighted to receive so many outstanding entries to the competition, which highlights how cell imaging is helping scientists explore the universe of the cell and is advancing our understanding of so many life-threatening and life-limiting diseases. I’d like to thank all the contestants for sending us their images, the judging panel and everyone who cast a vote.”


The winning images and gallery of all the finalists’ entries to the 2013 Cell Imaging Competition are available at www.gelifesciences.com/cellimagecompetition


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Regional winner (Microscopy Category) Graham Wright, Institute of Medical Biology, A*STAR, Singapore Image description: Mouse spermatocyte spread stained for KASH-5 and SCP3 (red and green) and DNA (blue). Therapeutic focus: Fertility. Credit: Graham Wright/GE Healthcare Life Sciences


1st Place Microscopy category Vanessa Auld, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada. Image description: Drosophila neuromuscular junction stained for extracellular matrix proteins (green and blue) and the nerve terminal (red). Therapeutic focus: Neurodegenerative disease Credit:Vanessa Auld/GE Healthcare Life Sciences


Zeiss Invites Leading Researchers to Workshop on Correlative 3D Microscopy


microscopy on living specimens and correlate this info directly with high-resolution electron microscopy so that we can see down to the macromolecule and protein levels. The distribution of SBF-SEM is accelerating now as people realise the potential of this technology and what it can offer in their research. Eventually this will take over much of conventional electron microscopy.”


Correlative 3D Microscopy workshop participants


In cooperation with the Flanders Institute of Biotechnology (VIB) and Core for Life, Zeiss invited the international community of correlative microscopists for 3 days to a joint workshop at the Bioimaging Core of the VIB Inflammatory Research Centre (IRC) in Ghent, Belgium. The workshop followed the first meeting of the community at the Zeiss Microscopy Labs Munich in 2012. From 9-11 March 2014, 150 scientists from 23 countries took the opportunity to discuss the current state of the art in correlative microscopy and 3D imaging techniques, and to exchange expertise with Zeiss to further develop these crucial technologies.


“Until now, most biological research using electron microscopy was conducted with the aid of ultrathin sections. 3View systems by Zeiss and Gatan allow us to acquire stacks and view biology in a more natural way in its 3D extent. This way, it allows us to better see the relationships of various cells, tissues, macromolecules and organelles and to understand the interactions between them,” stated Tom Deerinck, Research Scientist at the NCMIR, UCSD. “One of the core things that we want to do is to make light


Keynote lectures were given by Harald Hess (Group Leader at HHMI’s Janelia Farm Research Campus) who presented correlative PALM and EM workflows and by Mark Ellisman (Director of UCSD’s NCMIR) who demonstrated microscopy across scales and modalities. Further sessions of talks involved a wide variety of 3D imaging techniques with correlative workflows including light, electron and X-ray microscopy. Participants had the opportunity to go hands- on with ZEISS AURIGA and MERLIN 3View systems at the VIB’s Bioimaging Core and to attend sample preparation workshops with Kirk Czymmek, Director of the Zeiss Microscopy Labs New York. In round table discussions the invited scientists, together with R&D, product management and 3D imaging specialists from Zeiss, discussed topics that should take centre stage in future developments such as the handling of rapidly increasing amounts of imaging data.


“Zeiss has been building microscopes since 1846, and they put a lot of craftsmanship into the process. But the main reason why we partnered with Zeiss is not only the quality of the products, but also the quality of the support that comes along with them,” as Chris Guerin, Manager of the Bioimaging Core Facility at the VIB IRC stated. “Feedback from the participants was overwhelmingly positive and we are all looking forward to the next community meeting with Zeiss in 2016.”


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Simon Fraser


University Completes Installation of Electron Microscopes from FEI


Installation of a suite of high-end electron microscopes at Simon Fraser University’s (SFU) new Centre for Soft Materials, including the Tecnai Osiris™ transmission electron microscope and Helios™ DualBeam™ (scanning electron microscope/focused ion beam), has now been completed by FEI. The systems join other FEI microscopes in the 4D LABS facility, Vancouver, British Columbia, where the new, multi-million dollar centre is housed.


“To accommodate the unique needs of soft materials processing and characterisation, SFU’s 4D LABS has partnered with Canada’s Western Economic Diversification, the Automotive Fuel Cell Cooperation, Systems for Research and FEI to create the Centre for Soft Materials,” said Byron Gates, associate professor and Canada research chair in surface chemistry, Department of Chemistry at SFU. “We are implementing specialised microscope equipment and methods optimised for ‘soft’ materials that are easily damaged by high- energy particle beam analytical techniques. Materials in this vital class range from simple polymers and composites to cells and tissues. By improving our understanding of them we will be better able to design new materials and products for applications that include medicine, clean energy, information technology and many more.”


According to Trisha Rice, Vice President and General Manager of the Materials Science Business Unit, Science Group, FEI, “We are delighted to complete the installation of the Osiris and Helios systems at SFU’s new research facility. Globally, there is increasing interest in engineering polymers and composite materials as replacements for existing materials used in electronics, automotive and other industrial materials applications. We expect these new microscopes to provide SFU researchers with the capabilities they need to understand and improve the performance of soft materials in real-world conditions. These new microscopes also give the students an opportunity for hands-on training in advanced microscopy systems.”


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