Microscope News and Research

RSS

Phasefocus reports on new ptychography paper published in Nature Scientific Reports

Cell imaging often relies on synthetic or genetic fluorescent labels, to provide contrast which can be far from ideal for imaging cells in their in vivo state. We report on the biological application of a label-free, high contrast microscopy technique known as ptychography, in which the image producing step is transferred from the microscope lens to a high-speed phase retrieval algorithm.

From Phase Focus Limited 28 Jan 2014

Researchers detect cancer cells using olfactory senses of fruit flies

A research unit in an international cooperation project, led by the Konstanz-based neurobiologist and zoologist Professor Dr. Giovanni Galizia, has been the first to demonstrate that fruit flies are able to distinguish cancer cells from healthy cells via their olfactory sense.

25 Jan 2014

Interplanetary dust particles could deliver water and organics to the Earth, say scientists

Researchers from the University of Hawaii - Manoa (UHM) School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST), Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and University of California - Berkeley discovered that interplanetary dust particles (IDPs) could deliver water and organics to the Earth and other terrestrial planets.

25 Jan 2014

New techniques simplify current test procedures for developing new medications

When developing new medications, biologists and pharma- cologists test different active ingredients and chemical compounds. The main purpose is to find out how biological cells react to these substances.

24 Jan 2014

Statistical methods improve biological single-cell analyses

Each cell in our body is unique. Even cells of the same tissue type that look identical under the microscope differ slightly from each other.

24 Jan 2014

New technique detects bacterium that causes Legionnaires’ disease

The bacterium that causes Legionnaires’ disease remains difficult to track. French researchers have now developed a new technique that should allow living representatives of this dangerous pathogen to be detected much more quickly than with conventional methods. As they report in the journal Angewandte Chemie, samples are exposed to an azide-modified compound that the pathogen specifically incorporates into its shell, which is made of saccharide units. A fluorescent marker attached to the azide groups is used to identify the pathogen.

24 Jan 2014

New discovery provides insight into body's rejection process during transplantation

In 2009, the first face transplant was performed at Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH), and lead surgeon, Dr. Bohdan Pomahac has been pioneering the procedure since.

20 Jan 2014

Longer reads: Connecting with patients; obesity origins; children with chronic disease

I'd never [before] been encouraged to sit at a patient's bedside - to stop hurrying for even a moment. Our medical teachers put a premium on accuracy and efficiency, which became conflated with speed.

17 Jan 2014

Questions surround future of some troubled state exchanges

State insurance exchanges in Maryland, Oregon and Colorado are under the microscope and drawing criticism. Meanwhile, Republican state lawmakers in Tennessee and Texas propose legislation to undermine the health law in those states. And a cybersecurity official at the Department of Health and Human Services tells congressional investigators that testing of healthcare.gov, the federal online exchange, was inadequate.

16 Jan 2014

Researchers develop personalized tool to predict likelihood of prostate cancer overdiagnosis

Studies have found that prostate cancer is overdiagnosed in up to 42 percent of cases, prompting men to receive unnecessary treatment that can cause devastating side effects, including impotence and incontinence.

9 Jan 2014

Researcher reveals how temperature impacts development of embryos

In nature, animals face a broad range of temperatures, and at times the heat can become taxing. When it becomes too hot to survive, some animals can simply migrate to more favorable climates, but what if you are a mere embryo confined within an egg and cannot escape the heat?

6 Jan 2014

Researchers observe mating for the first time in microbes responsible for African sleeping sickness

Caught in the act! Researchers from the University of Bristol have observed mating for the first time in the microbes responsible for African sleeping sickness. This tropical disease is caused by trypanosomes, single-celled parasites that are found in the blood of those afflicted.

5 Jan 2014

Innovation leads to faster drug therapies, increased understanding of proteins on microscopic level

Membrane proteins are the "gatekeepers" that allow information and molecules to pass into and out of a cell. Until recently, the microscopic study of these complex proteins has been restricted due to limitations of "force microscopes" that are available to researchers and the one-dimensional results these microscopes reveal.

17 Dec 2013

New Opterra multipoint scanning confocal microscope from Bruker

Today at the 2013 American Society for Cell Biology Annual Meeting, Bruker introduced the Opterra Multipoint Scanning Confocal Microscope, which sets a new standard for integration of confocal imaging with photoactivation.

16 Dec 2013

Transport of bacterial substrates through injectisome observed almost in real time

When attacking body cells, bacteria, such as salmonellae or Yersinia (plague pathogens), inject specific bacterial proteins through hollow, syringe-like structures - called injectisomes - into the host cells. These substances reprogram the cells and can thus overcome their defense. From then on, they can infiltrate the cells unhindered in large numbers, and trigger diseases such as typhus, plague, or cholera.

13 Dec 2013

Researchers show biophysical factors that contribute to the strength of heartbeat

The heart maintains a careful balancing act; too soft and it won't pump blood, but too hard and it will overtax itself and stop entirely. There is an optimal amount of strain that a beating heart can generate and still beat at its usual rate, once per second.

12 Dec 2013

Scientists devise method to measure forces in 3D tissues, living embryos

As embryonic tissue develops, cells push and pull on each other, and they must do so correctly for the tissue to develop properly. Now scientists at Harvard University have devised the first method to measure these forces in three-dimensional (3D) tissues and living embryos.

10 Dec 2013

Researchers develop new technique to cure human diseases caused by misfolded protein molecules

A team led by a longtime Oregon Health & Science University researcher has demonstrated in mice what could be a revolutionary new technique to cure a wide range of human diseases - from cystic fibrosis to cataracts to Alzheimer's disease - that are caused by "misfolded" protein molecules.

9 Dec 2013

Exposure to high-powered blue handheld laser devices can cause serious eye injuries

Exposure for even fractions of a second to high-powered blue handheld laser devices can cause serious eye injuries, according to a study recently released online in Ophthalmology, the journal of the American Academy of Ophthalmology. The researchers have concluded that the wide availability of these devices, which are often marketed as toys, could lead to an epidemic of ocular injuries, and greater public awareness and government intervention should be encouraged.

6 Dec 2013

Researchers identify gene involved in building circuitry that relays signals via brain

Using a powerful gene-hunting technique for the first time in mammalian brain cells, researchers at Johns Hopkins report they have identified a gene involved in building the circuitry that relays signals through the brain.

5 Dec 2013

Microscope News and Research

Phasefocus reports on new ptychography paper published in Nature Scientific Reports

Researchers detect cancer cells using olfactory senses of fruit flies

Interplanetary dust particles could deliver water and organics to the Earth, say scientists

New techniques simplify current test procedures for developing new medications

Statistical methods improve biological single-cell analyses

New technique detects bacterium that causes Legionnaires’ disease

New discovery provides insight into body's rejection process during transplantation

Longer reads: Connecting with patients; obesity origins; children with chronic disease

Questions surround future of some troubled state exchanges

Researchers develop personalized tool to predict likelihood of prostate cancer overdiagnosis

Researcher reveals how temperature impacts development of embryos

Researchers observe mating for the first time in microbes responsible for African sleeping sickness

Innovation leads to faster drug therapies, increased understanding of proteins on microscopic level

New Opterra multipoint scanning confocal microscope from Bruker

Transport of bacterial substrates through injectisome observed almost in real time

Researchers show biophysical factors that contribute to the strength of heartbeat

Scientists devise method to measure forces in 3D tissues, living embryos

Researchers develop new technique to cure human diseases caused by misfolded protein molecules

Exposure to high-powered blue handheld laser devices can cause serious eye injuries

Researchers identify gene involved in building circuitry that relays signals via brain

Industry Focus eBook - Life Science Microscopy (2nd Edition) eBook

Advancing Neuroscience Research Through Collaboration and Patient-Centered Innovation

The impact of vibration on microscopy

How Omics Technologies Are Transforming Biological Research and Drug Discovery

Latest News