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Research and Development Instruments 

The 91�鶹���� has received generous support for its imaging innovation initiative from some of the largest private funders of science in the country including the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI), the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation, and the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI).  With these investments, the MBL team is developing a wide range of cutting-edge microscope systems to meet our constantly growing imaging needs. In the last couple years, we have developed four systems which are being used by scientists and two additional systems are under development. There will be a constant pipeline of these innovative microscopes that transition from development to the MBL’s Central Microscopy Facility.

New State-of-the-Art Microscopes Installed at MBL

Two microscopes funded by a $4.3 million award from the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center (MLSC) have been installed at the Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL). The two advanced instruments—a plasma focused ion beam-scanning electron microscope (Thermo Scientific PFIB-SEM Helios Hydra) and a confocal and super-resolution microscope (Leica Stellaris 8 STED)—will allow 2D and 3D reconstruction from both electron and light microscopy for comparative and high-resolution imaging.

Installation began in late March and the staff of the MBL’s Central Microscopy Facility are currently fine tuning the instruments and training select staff. The facilities will be open to MBL investigators and courses along with visiting researchers from Massachusetts and beyond.

"The 91�鶹���� has long been at the frontier of new imaging technologies for biological discovery.  These new instruments supported by the MLSC further advance our capabilities and bring new high resolution imaging to the MBL and the broader research community,” said Anne Sylvester, MBL director of research. 

Building on an Unmatched History in Imaging Innovation

• 1951

  MBL Distinguished Scientist Shinya Inoué’s pioneering work in polarized light microscopy, which led to his landmark discovery proving the universal existence of spindle fibers.
• 1979

  Optical Microscopy and Imaging in the Biomedical Sciences Course begins (started by Bob and Nina Allen)
• 1980

  Analytical and Quantitative Light Microscopy Course begins (started by Shinya Inoue)
• 1980s

  Inoué and Robert and Nina Allen develop video microscopy, dramatically improving contrast and clarity in live-cell imaging.
• 1980s

  MBL-developed techniques in electron and video microscopy lead to the discovery of kinesin, a new family of motor proteins, by MBL Distinguished Scientist Ron Vale, Mike Sheetz, and Tom Reese.
• 2008

  MBL Distinguished Scientist Osamu Shimomura wins the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for discovery of green fluorescent protein (GFP) in the 1960s, leading to the development of its applications in experimental biology and live imaging.
• 2014

  MBL Visiting Scientist and faculty member Eric Betzig wins the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his development of super-resolution microscope technology, tested at the MBL. When combined with fluorescent molecules such as GFP, this technology allows unprecedented levels of imaging in living systems. 
• 2019

  The MBL launches the Imaging Innovation Initiative to stay abreast of the latest technological advances for a better understanding of basic biology. The special focus placed on the light microscope-level of live imaging allows us to see at a level never seen before.
• 2021

  Deep Learning for Microscopy Image Analysis Course begins
• 2021

  ���ԲԳܲ�����Light-Sheet Fluorescence Microscopy Conference (LSFM) begins
• 2023

  The Massachusetts Life Sciences awards $4.3 million to the MBL to expand its imaging capabilities.

Increasing the Speed of Innovation

A Global Leader in Life Sciences

To address a new set of biological questions, the nature of which were unfathomable only a decade ago, the 91�鶹���� has established a year-round collaborative center for research and training in next-generation light microscopy and computational image analysis. Recent advances in light microscopy are creating unprecedented opportunities for understanding living systems. 

By coupling new imaging and gene editing technologies, computation, and the marine life accessible at its doorstep, the MBL is a center for collaboration and discovery for the world’s leading scientists. 

Getting Involved with the MBL

Whether exploring the rich diversity of life in oceans and coastal marshes or uncovering the molecular details of the inner workings of cells from diverse organisms, the MBL is uniquely positioned to address existing biological questions in new ways as well as tackling new biological questions. By supporting the MBL’s mission or attending public events, the general public can help the MBL foster growth in optical imaging techniques and data science.  

Imaging Committee

Co-Chairs:

• Amy Gladfelter, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill; MBL Whitman Center Scientist and MBL Fellow
• Patrick La Riviere, University of Chicago; MBL Whitman Center Scientist and MBL Fellow

Committee Members:

• Zoe Cardon, Marine Biological Laboratory
• Ibrahim Cisse, Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics
• Daniel Colon-Ramos, Yale School of Medicine
• Karen Echeverri, Marine Biological Laboratory, New Research Organisms Committee Liaison
• Daniel Fletcher, University of California Berkeley
• Scott Fraser, University of Southern California
• Louis Kerr, Marine Biological Laboratory
• Abhishek Kumar, Marine Biological Laboratory
• Paul Maddox, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
• Rudolf Oldenbourg, Marine Biological Laboratory
• Josh Rosenthal, Marine Biological Laboratory, New Research Organisms Committee Liaison
• Hari Shroff, Howard Hughes Medical Institute
• Clare Waterman, National Institutes of Health