Science is art: Imaging competition shows off the stunning side of microscopic research

Personalized medicine aims to deliver more precise and effective medications to combat a given disease. However, for this to be successfully achieved, the diseased cells must be characterized. Shown here is an example of actin propagation over time (time is color coded from Blue to Red), whereby the investigator can follow this crucial subcellular component of muscle cells and label it as healthy or diseased. If needed, the appropriate medication can then be selected and applied.

Traditional microscopes often are unable to resolve the truly fine structures in our cells. This puts a limit onto what researchers can observe and the areas of study that can be pursued. Recently, advances in optical microscopy technologies have improved upon this visual limit by nearly ten-fold. Such progress is allowing investigators to achieve new insights into subcellular structure and function.

Researchers aim to develop new materials that provide greater medical benefit and functionality while being readily accepted by our immune systems. By observing the tissue that surrounds the engineered material, investigators can assess the biocompatibility of the material with our bodies. In the tissue section shown here, the connective tissue (Blue) and cell nuclei (dark red) can be seen.

Researchers now understand that zinc and other metals play a vital role in proper cellular function. Genetically-encoded tools can be used to observe the connection between these metallic nutrients and changes in cell behavior. Here, these cells have been modified to show the presence of zinc (Yellow) and other traditional signaling molecules (Red), providing insight to their physiological relationship. The individual cell nuclei are shown (Teal).

Investigations often require our researchers to push the technological limits of our microscopes, and it is often necessary to develop custom-built systems and analytical tools. This 3D image of animal tissue was acquired using a custom-built microscope designed specifically to improve spatial resolution in all dimensions. The image is color-coded for depth.

Acquiring relevant human tissues to study human diseases is challenging, meaning researchers are often required to use non-ideal models. More recently, investigators have been able to utilize pluripotent stem cells in their disease studies. These cells can be induced to represent nearly any human cell type or tissue. Here, stem cells have been induced to form human cardiac myocytes. Muscle components are shown (Green). The individual cell nuclei are also shown (Blue).

Actin, a common protein found in cells, often forms microfilaments within cells. These filaments play a major role in cellular function such as cell shape and migration, and they can be an indicator of overall cell health. Here, the actin filaments have been fluorescently labeled, with the resulting image false-colored using a heat map. Here, warmer colors reflect the presence of actin stress fibers, which is indicative of poor cellular health.

Cell migration is a complex process that is not entirely understood and is very relevant to cancer. Investigators are now beginning to unravel this mechanism through the identification and observation of proteins specific to this process. Here, the researchers are investigating the involvement of microtubules (flexible polymers that promote cell shape, shown in Orange) to the aggregation of specific cell migration proteins (Green).

The central nervous system is extremely complex and involves many cell types that interact with each other. Glial cells have a major impact on proper neuronal function by secreting signaling molecules and recycling neurotransmitters, amongst others. This image was captured as part of an investigation of proper neuronal function and shows the presence of more fluorescent dye in the nucleus (Yellow) compared to rest of the cell (Green to Purple).

Ribonucleic acid (RNA) comes in multiple forms that can be generally divided into two sub categories: those that allow for protein formation and those that do not (dubbed non-coding). Recently, researchers have discovered that these non-coding RNAs play a vital role in cell fate decisions. The presence of non-coding RNA (Red), glial cells (Green), and cell nuclei (Blue) is observed in both young (left) and mature (right) fly embryos.

The organs that make up our bodies are comprised of a complex and intricate network of multiple cell types. Through a combination of matrix engineering and biological approaches, researchers can create organ-like models (termed organoids) to study the early stages of their formation. Here, the nuclei (Blue), actin (Green), and lysozymes (Red) of an intestinal organoid are shown.

Fibroblasts are cells that produce the structural framework for the tissues found in our bodies. Observing how these cells respond to diseases helps researchers understand why fibrosis, for example, in heart disease, might occur. By combining fibroblasts with engineered growth matrices that mimic aspects of their native tissue, investigators gain insights into disease development. Individual cell nuclei (Blue) and cytoskeletal components (Green and Red) are shown.