The latest Business updates from the science industry


Microscopy & Imaging by Heather Hobbs


Consortium to assess new instruments for early cardiovascular disease detection


A consortium led by Finland’s University of Turku is developing novel imaging technology to assess adverse changes


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microcirculatory status associated with hypertension, chronic kidney disease (CKD) and heart failure (HF), leading to earlier detection of cardiovascular diseases. The STIMULUS - Speckle Technology and Digital Biomarkers of Microvascular Function for Monitoring Cardiovascular Diseases – project is funded by a European Innovation Council Pathfi nder Challenges grant with a total EU budget of €3.9 million.


With cardiovascular diseases the leading cause of death globally and affecting over 60 million people in the EU, it is important to diagnose changes in microvascular dysfunction and monitor early phases of the disease progress. The proposed technology for development, said the consortium, is the HEMI-speckle system, an integration of two existing prototypes, the multi-spectral optical sensory system and the speckle plethysmography (SPG) system. To assess the diagnostic value of these technologies for both HF and CKD populations, two clinical trials will be executed, at the same time as the new integrated solution will be developed. Lessons


learnt from these clinical trials will be used for ongoing development of the integrated HEMI-speckle system; identifi cation of new digital biomarkers from both the individual and integrated technology: for analysing the sensitivity and specifi city of the two technologies for each population separately; and also to prove the validity of the technologies for the early assessment of microvascular function in the target population.


The University of Turku is overseeing a work package focused on instrument development, biosignal analysis and extraction of novel digital biomarkers, which is being conducted with consortium partners Imec, Aalborg University Hospital, Inserm, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, along with the Finnish Heart Association as associated partner.


A recent meeting at Turku, the fi rst face-to-face gathering of the project partners since funding began in October 2023, provided the opportunity for deeper discussions, co-designing and joint planning of the next steps further facilitating a smooth fl ow of collaborative efforts.


More information online: ilmt.co/PL/vzGA


The STIMULUS project team, Agora building at the University of Turku (Credit: University of Turku)


62679pr@reply-direct.com SLAC celebrate completion of largest digital camera ever built


Scientists and engineers at the Department of Energy’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory along with their collaborators are celebrating the completion of the Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST) Camera which, from its place atop a telescope in Chile, will help researchers observe our universe in unprecedented detail.


As the heart of the DOE and National Science Foundation funded Vera C. Rubin Observatory, the 3,200-megapixel camera, roughly the size of a small car and weighing around 3,000 kilograms (3 metric tons), is the largest ever constructed for astronomy - and at fi ve feet across the front lens is also the largest ever made for this purpose. Another three- foot-wide lens was specially designed to maintain shape and optical clarity while also sealing the vacuum chamber that houses the camera’s enormous focal plane. Made up of 201 individual CCD sensors, the focal plane is so fl at that it varies by no more than a tenth the width of a human hair. The pixels themselves are only 10 microns wide.


The camera will generate data on the southern night sky that will aid in the quest to understand dark energy, which is driving the accelerating


Rubin data will also support better understanding of the changing night sky, the Milky Way galaxy and our own solar system.


“With the completion of the unique LSST Camera at SLAC and its imminent integration with the rest of Rubin Observatory systems in Chile, we will soon start producing the greatest movie of all time and the most informative map of the night sky ever assembled,” said Director of Rubin Observatory Construction and University of Washington Professor Zeljko Ivezic.


Researchers examine the LSST Camera. (Credit: Greg Stewart/SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory)


expansion of the universe; and the hunt for dark matter, the mysterious substance that makes up around 85% of the matter in the universe. The


The camera’s most important feature is its high resolution; “Its images are so detailed that it could resolve a golf ball from around 15 miles away, while covering a swath of the sky seven times wider than the full moon. These images with billions of stars and galaxies will help unlock the secrets of the universe,” said SLAC Professor and Rubin Observatory Deputy Director and Camera Program Lead Aaron Roodman.


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RMS LM and EM Summer Schools July


The Royal Microscopical Society is holding its two-day Light Microscopy Summer School at the Biology Department of the University of York UK, on 8- 9 July, covering both the principles of light microscopy and practical issues surrounding light microscopy. After introductory presentations, teaching is predominantly through hands-on practical sessions. Suitable for both novices and more experienced users wanting to gain a greater understanding of the microscope, the Society remarked that participant feedback every year is always fantastic. Students usually come from a range of backgrounds, within both research and commercial organisations. All benefi ted greatly from the course and left with increased understanding and skills.


RMS President Peter O’Toole (Credit: RMS)


This is immediately followed by a hands-on Confocal Course at the University on 10-11 July. This two day annual meeting utilises many different sample types and fl uorescent probes (DNA stains, classic antibody labels and fl uorescent proteins) which are chosen to best demonstrate particular problems and techniques. Focus is always on the techniques they enable and the problems they generate, which will be applicable to any sample types. The two days consist of short tutorials followed by hands-on practice.


Day 1 takes participants through the basic principles of confocal microscopy and then trains them, through hands-on practice, how to confi gure and image multicolour, multidimensional samples using a confocal microscope.


Day 2 builds on the experience of Day 1 and enables participants to try FRAP and spectral profi ling. The scientifi c organiser for both courses is Peter O’Toole, RMS president, University of York.


The Society’s annual Electron Microscopy Summer School is taking place in Leeds on 15-19 July. This aims to provide a basic training in both the theory and practice of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The course covers imaging, diffraction and chemical microanalysis, as well as the highly important area of sample preparation.


The Scientifi c organisers are Louie Aspinall, University of Leeds; Nicole Hondow, University of Leeds and and Rik Brydson, RMS Vice President, University of Leeds.


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