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THUNDER Imager Live Cell & 3D Assay

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THUNDER image of brain-capillary endothelial-like cells derived from human iPSCs (induced pluripotent stem cells) where cyan indicates nuclei and magenta tight junctions.

Rapid Check of Live Stem Cells in Cell-culture Inserts Set in Multi-well Plates

See how efficient imaging of live iPSC stem cells within cell-culture inserts set in a multi-well plate can be done to evaluate the cells using a THUNDER Imager. Just read this article.
Murine esophageal organoids (DAPI, Integrin26-AF 488, SOX2-AF568) imaged with the THUNDER Imager 3D Cell Culture. Courtesy of Dr. F.T. Arroso Martins, Tamere University, Finland.

How to Get Deeper Insights into your Organoid and Spheroid Models

In this eBook, learn about key considerations for imaging 3D cultures, such as organoids and spheroids, and discover microscopy solutions to shed new insights into dynamic processes in 3D real-time
Single cell datasets

Exploring Subcellular Spatial Phenotypes with SPARCS

Discover spatially resolved CRISPR screening (SPARCS), a platform for microscopy-based genetic screening for spatial subcellular phenotypes at the human genome scale.
Brain organoid section (DAPI) acquired using THUNDER Imager Live Cell. Image courtesy of Janina Kaspar and Irene Santisteban, Schäfer Lab, TUM.

Imaging Organoid Models to Investigate Brain Health

Imaging human brain organoid models to study the phenotypes of specialized brain cells called microglia, and the potential applications of these organoid models in health and disease.
Mouse cortical neurons. Transgenic GFP (green). Image courtesy of Prof. Hui Guo, School of Life Sciences, Central South University, China

How Microscopy Helps the Study of Mechanoceptive and Synaptic Pathways

In this podcast, Dr Langenhan explains how microscopy helps his team to study mechanoceptive and synaptic pathways, their challenges, and how they overcome them.
Microscopy for neuroscience research

What are the Challenges in Neuroscience Microscopy?

eBook outlining the visualization of the nervous system using different types of microscopy techniques and methods to address questions in neuroscience.
Cancer cells

The Role of Iron Metabolism in Cancer Progression

Iron metabolism plays a role in cancer development and progression, and modulates the immune response. Understanding how iron influences cancer and the immune system can aid the development of new…
How is microscopy used in spatial biology - Teaserimage

How is Microscopy Used in Spatial Biology? A Microscopy Guide

Different spatial biology methods in microscopy, such as multiplex imaging, are helping to better understand tissue landscapes. Learn more in this microscopy guide.

Going Beyond Deconvolution

Widefield fluorescence microscopy is often used to visualize structures in life science specimens and obtain useful information. With the use of fluorescent proteins or dyes, discrete specimen…
Raw widefield and THUNDER image of Drosophila follicles. Image courtesy of M. Khoury and D. Bilder, University of California, Berkeley, USA.

Investigating Epithelial Morphogenesis and the Growth of Epithelia

This article shows how rapidly acquired THUNDER images of Drosophila follicles or egg chambers help distinguish apicobasal proteins when studying epithelial morphogenesis for cancer research.
Raw widefield and THUNDER image of GFP-tagged zebrafish fin. Courtesy of Jason Ear lab at Cal Poly Pomona, California, USA.

Diseases Linked to Scaffold Proteins and Signaling

This article shows how diseases related to scaffold proteins and protein signaling can be studied in zebrafish models efficiently with a THUNDER Imager.
Extended depth of field reconstruction image of a whole human pancreas islet showing fluorescence signals from insulin (green), glucagon (red), an IL17 cytokine (magenta), and nuclei (blue).

Understanding Better the Onset of Diabetes

This article shows how Interleukin-17 (IL-17) proinflammatory cytokine proteins in human pancreatic islets can be studied efficiently with a THUNDER Imager.
Chicken-embryo cross section at the level of the midbrain showing neural crest cells and cadherin-6B molecules. Raw widefield data (top) and THUNDER image (bottom).

The Neural Crest (NC)

This article discusses how the study of neural crest (NC) development in chicken embryos is aided with haze-free imaging using a THUNDER Imager 3D Assay. Proper specification, migration, and…
Raw widefield and THUNDER image of transversal mouse adult fiber lens section. Courtesy N. Houssin, Plagemen lab, Ohio State University, Columbus, USA.

Studying Ocular Birth Defects

This article discusses how lens formation and ocular birth defects can be studied with sharp widefield microscopy images which are acquired rapidly. The mouse ocular lens is used as a model to study…
THUNDER image of early prophase Drosophila germarium.

Healthy Oocyte Development

This article discusses how the study of mechanisms involved in the generation of healthy oocytes in Drosophila fruit flies can be helped with sharp, haze-free images acquired with a THUNDER Imager…
Mouse whole-mount retina. Image courtesy of the Experimental Ophthalmology Group, University of Murcia, Spain.

Fast, High Acuity Imaging and AI-assisted Analysis

The use of state-of-the-art AI systems is pushing image analysis into a new generation. Challenges like the conflict between imaging power and sample integrity are being overcome with THUNDER’s…
3D reconstruction of an isolated human islet

Create New Options for Live Cell Imaging

The use of state-of-the-art AI systems is pushing image analysis into a new generation. Challenges like the conflict between imaging power and sample integrity are being overcome with THUNDER’s…
Raw widefield and THUNDER image of mouse brain showing D2-dopamine receptors.

Expression of D2-Dopamine Receptors in Neurons

This article discusses how D2-dopamine receptors (D2R) in the substantia-nigra of mouse brain can be more clearly revealed with a THUNDER Imager 3D Assay using Instant Computational Clearing (ICC)…

Visualizing Retinal Interactions to Study Eye Diseases

This article shows how interactions between endothelial cells, blood vessels, microglia, and astrocytes in mouse retina can be studied efficiently with a THUNDER Imager 3D Cell Culture and Large…
Whole mouse embryo widefield data and LVCC

Cranial Nerve Development

This article demonstrates how fast, high-contrast imaging of mouse embryos with a THUNDER Imager 3D Cell Culture and Large Volume Computational Clearing (LVCC) enable the investigation of axonal…
Left-hand image: The distribution of immune cells (white) and blood vessels (pink) in white adipose tissue (image captured using the THUNDER Imager 3D Cell Culture). Right-hand image: The same image after automated analysis using Aivia, with each immune cell color-coded based on its distance to the nearest blood vessel. Image courtesy of Dr. Selina Keppler, Munich, Germany.

Accurately Analyze Fluorescent Widefield Images

The specificity of fluorescence microscopy allows researchers to accurately observe and analyze biological processes and structures quickly and easily, even when using thick or large samples. However,…

Save Time and Effort with AI-assisted Fluorescence Image Analysis

The powerful synergy of THUNDER and Aivia analyze fluorescence images with greater accuracy, even when using low light excitation.

Role of Mucins and Glycosylation in Dry Eye Disease

This article shows how fast, high-contrast, and sharp imaging of stratified human corneal epithelial cells with THUNDER imaging technology for dry eye disease (DED) research allows membrane ridges to…
Images of C2C12 cells which were stained with lamin B (magenta), Hoechst (blue), and yH2AX (yellow). A) raw widefield fluorescence image and B) THUNDER image after LVCC. The yellow foci indicate damaged DNA.

Skeletal Muscle Adaptation and Fibrotic Diseases

The mechanisms of how skeletal muscle adapts to fibrotic pathologies can be investigated more efficiently with fast, high-contrast imaging of C2C12 mouse myoblast cells which is described in this…
HeLa Kyoto cells (HKF1, H2B-mCherry, alpha Tubulin, mEGFP). Left image: Maximum projection of a z-stack prior to ICC and LVCC. Right image: Maximum projection of a mosaic z-stack after ICC and LVCC.

How to Improve Live Cell Imaging with Coral Life

For live-cell CLEM applications, light microscopy imaging is a critical step for identifying the right cell in the right state at the right time. In this article, Leica experts share their insights on…

Optimizing THUNDER Platform for High-Content Slide Scanning

With rising demand for full-tissue imaging and the need for FL signal quantitation in diverse biological specimens, the limits on HC imaging technology are tested, while user trainability and…
C. elegans Gonades - THUNDER Imager  Adult hermaphrodit, Staining: blue - DAPI (Nucleus), green - SP56 (sperms), red - RME-2 (oocyte), mangenta - PGL-1 (RNA + protein granules) Image courtesy of Prof. Dr. Christian Eckmann, Martin Luther University, Halle, Germany

Physiology Image Gallery

Physiology is about the processes and functions within a living organism. Research in physiology focuses on the activities and functions of an organism’s organs, tissues, or cells, including the…
Virally labeled neurons (red) and astrocytes (green) in a cortical spheroid derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells. THUNDER Model Organism Imagerwith a 2x 0.15 NA objective at 3.4x zoomwas used to produce this 425 μm Z-stack (26 positions), which is presented here as an Extended Depth of Field(EDoF)projection.

Neuroscience Images

Neuroscience commonly uses microscopy to study the nervous system’s function and understand neurodegenerative diseases.
Pollen Flower - Taken with a 20x/0.8 objective, area of 6mm² with a depth of 100μm. 15 stitched tiles with 4 colors (DAPI/GFP/TRITC/Cy5) - a total of 13020 images. Video courtesy of James Marr, Leica Microsystems, USA

Developmental Biology Image Gallery

Developmental biology explores the development of complex organisms from the embryo to adulthood to understand in detail the origins of disease. This category of the gallery shows images about…
Images of a brain organoid derived from iPSCs acquired with a THUNDER Imager 3D Cell Culture. The cells were infected with the pAAV-hSyn-EGFP and pLX-hGFAP-mCherry virus. The image is the 36th plane cropped out of a 53 plane Z-stack volume. Shown are both the A) raw widefield image and B) the same image after Large Volume Computation Clearing (LVCC). Neurons are labeled in green and astrocytes in red.

“Brains-In-A-Dish” from Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (iPSCs)

This article discusses the benefits of using the THUNDER technology for imaging inside 3D human cortical brain organoids. These organoids are derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs)…
Spheroid shown here as a maximum projection of the raw widefield image data (left) and THUNDER image after Instant Computational Clearing (right). The images are derived from approximately 60 µm Z stacks. Different stains (alpha actin and vimentin) are used to help identify the various cell types. Images courtesy of Sandra Grijalva, Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Tech and Emory University, Atlanta, USA.

Developing Heart Pacemaker Cells from Cardiac Spheroids

During the last decade, 3D cell culture has been established as a more realistic model compared to classical 2D culture systems. Cells can develop into miniature 3D objects, so called spheroids, which…

Putting Dynamic Live Cell Data into the Ultrastructural Context

With workflow Coral Life, searching for a needle in the haystack is a thing of the past. Take advantage of correlative light and electron microscopy to identify directly the right cell at the right…
Electroporated nerve cells (green), specific neuronal markers (magenta) and cell nuclei (white), computational cleared.

Into the Third Dimension with "Wow Effect"- Observe Cells in 3D and Real-Time

Life is fast, especially for a cell. As a rule, cells should be examined under physiological conditions which are as close as possible to their natural environment. New technologies offer tremendous…
Lung organoid taken at the "liquid-air interface" with a THUNDER Imager 3D Cell Culture. The cells originate from transgenic mice, so that the different fluorescence represents the degree of differentiation of the respective cell (superposition). The image acquisition was performed on day 21 after the start of the culture. Reference: P. Kanrai, MPI-HLR Bad Nauheim.

Observing 3D Cell Cultures During Development

3D cell cultures, such as organoids and spheroids, give insights into cells and their interactions with their microenvironment. These 3D cell cultures are playing an increasingly important role for…
Virally labeled neurons (red) and astrocytes (green) in a cortical spheroid derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells. THUNDER Model Organism Imager with a 2x 0.15 NA objective at 3.4x zoom was used to produce this 425 µm Z-stack (26 positions), which is presented here as an Extended Depth of Field (EDoF) projection.  Images courtesy of Dr. Fikri Birey  from the Dr. Sergiu Pasca laboratory at Stanford University, 3165 Porter Dr., Palo Alto, CA

Download The Guide to Live Cell Imaging

In life science research, live cell imaging is an indispensable tool to visualize cells in a state as in vivo as possible. This E-book reviews a wide range of important considerations to take to…
Dividing fission yeast S. pombe stained with two markers against spindle pole bodies (Pcp1-GFP, green) and cytokinesis ring (Rlc1-mCherry; red).

Studying Cell Division

Cell division is a biological process during which all cellular components must be distributed among the daughter cells. The division process requires firm coordination for success. Microscopy is…
Images of the scaffold composed of fluorescent fibers: Left: raw widefield image. Right: THUNDER image with LVVC. Both images are maximal projections of a z stack of 55 images (total height of 130 µm). Images courtesy of Mollie Smoak, Department of Bioengineering, Rice University, Houston, TX, USA

Finding new Scaffolds for Tissue Engineering

Tissue engineers use biomaterials for a variety of applications from drug delivery to supporting the regeneration of damaged or lost tissues to creating in vitro disease models. Scaffold architecture…
Mouse kidney section with Alexa Fluor™ 488 WGA, Alexa Fluor™ 568 Phalloidin, and DAPI. Sample is a FluoCells™ prepared slide #3 from Thermo Fisher Scientific, Waltham, MA, USA. Images courtesy of Dr. Reyna Martinez – De Luna, Upstate Medical University, Department of Ophthalmology.

The Power of Pairing Adaptive Deconvolution with Computational Clearing

Learn how deconvolution allows you to overcome losses in image resolution and contrast in widefield fluorescence microscopy due to the wave nature of light and the diffraction of light by optical…

Improvement of Imaging Techniques to Understand Organelle Membrane Cell Dynamics

Understanding cell functions in normal and tumorous tissue is a key factor in advancing research of potential treatment strategies and understanding why some treatments might fail. Single-cell…
Mouse lymphnode acquired with a THUNDER Imager 3D Cell Culture. Image courtesy of Dr. Selina Keppler, Munich, Germany.

Image Gallery: THUNDER Imager

To help you answer important scientific questions, THUNDER Imagers eliminate the out-of-focus blur that clouds the view of thick samples when using camera-based fluorescence microscopes. They achieve…

From Organs to Tissues to Cells: Analyzing 3D Specimens with Widefield Microscopy

Obtaining high-quality data and images from thick 3D samples is challenging using traditional widefield microscopy because of the contribution of out-of-focus light. In this webinar, Falco Krüger…

Studying Human Brain Development and Disease

Neural spheroids created from human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) provide effective and novel tools for studying brain development, as well as the underlying pathological mechanisms of…
Mouse retina was fixed and stained by following reagents: anti-CD31 antibody (green): Endothelia cells, IsoB4 (red): Blood vessels, and microglia anti-GFAP antibody (blue): Astrocytes Sample courtesy by Jeremy Burton, PhD and Jiyeon Lee, PhD, Genentech Inc., South San Francisco, USA. Imaged by Olga Davydenko, PhD (Leica). Imaged with a THUNDER Imager 3D Cell Culture.

An Introduction to Computational Clearing

Many software packages include background subtraction algorithms to enhance the contrast of features in the image by reducing background noise. The most common methods used to remove background noise…

Factors to Consider When Selecting a Research Microscope

An optical microscope is often one of the central devices in a life-science research lab. It can be used for various applications which shed light on many scientific questions. Thereby the…
Influenca in lung epithelial cells (porcine) - THUNDER Imager 3D Cell Culture Influenca virus – red, cilia – green, Nuclei – blue.

How Can Immunofluorescence Aid Virology Research?

Modern virology research has become as crucial now as ever before due to the global COVID-19 pandemic. There are many powerful technologies and assays that virologists can apply to their research into…

Computational Clearing - Enhance 3D Specimen Imaging

This webinar is designed to clarify crucial specifications that contribute to THUNDER Imagers' transformative visualization of 3D samples and improvements within a researcher's imaging-related…

THUNDER Imagers: High Performance, Versatility and Ease-of-Use for your Everyday Imaging Workflows

This webinar will showcase the versatility and performance of THUNDER Imagers in many different life science applications: from counting nuclei in retina sections and RNA molecules in cancer tissue…

Evaluating Axon Regeneration After Brain or Spine Trauma of Mice

Damaged nerve regeneration was investigated using mouse spinal cord sections treated with compounds that counter axon growth inhibitor (AGI) proteins. The sections were screened to find active and…

Drosophila Testis Niche Stem Cells – Three Color Computational Clearing

Differentiated living beings such as humans, but also a fruit fly or a plant, possess not only the differentiated cells which form specific tissues, but also those cells whose fate is not yet (or only…

Alzheimer Plaques: fast Visualization in Thick Sections

More than 60% of all diagnosed cases of dementia are attributed to Alzheimer’s disease. Typical of this disease are histological alterations in the brain tissue. So far, there is no cure for this…

Real Time Images of 3D Specimens with Sharp Contrast Free of Haze

THUNDER Imagers deliver in real time images of 3D specimens with sharp contrast, free of the haze or out-of-focus blur typical of widefield systems. They can even image clearly places deep inside a…

Fields of Application

Live Cell Imaging

Shifting perspective from single microscope components to a full working live cell imaging solution, Leica Microsystems integrates microscope, LAS X imaging software, cameras, and dedicated…

Fluorescence

Find out how fluorescence microscopes from Leica Microsystems support your research. Fluorescence is one of the most commonly used physical phenomena in biological and analytical microscopy for its…

Zebrafish Research

For the best result during screening, sorting, manipulation, and imaging you need to see details and structures to make the right decisions for your next steps in research. Known for outstanding…

Photomanipulation

The term photomanipulation encompasses a range of techniques that utilize the properties of fluorescent molecules to initiate events and observe how dynamic complexes behave over time in living cells.…

Neuroscience

Are you working towards a better understanding of neurodegenerative diseases or studying the function of the nervous system? See how you can make breakthroughs with imaging solutions from Leica…

Organoids and 3D Cell Culture

One of the most exciting recent advancements in life science research is the development of 3D cell culture systems, such as organoids, spheroids, or organ-on-a-chip models. A 3D cell culture is an…

Virology

Do your research interests focus on viral infection and disease? Find out how you can gain insights into virology with solutions for imaging and sample preparation from Leica Microsystems.

Advanced Microscopy Techniques

Advanced microscopy techniques: Advanced microscopy techniques encompass both high-resolution and super-resolution imaging techniques. These techniques are primarily used to visualize biological…

Basic Microscopy Techniques

Basic microscopy techniques are used in instances where the entire specimen on the microscope stage is exposed to a light source. The whole specimen is illuminated by white light either from above (in…

DIC Microscopes

A DIC microscope is a widefield microscopy which has a polarization filter and Wollaston prism between the light source and condenser lens and also between the objective lens and camera sensor or…

Phase Contrast Light Microscopes

A phase contrast light microscope offers a way to view the structures of many types of biological specimens in greater contrast without the need of stains.

Darkfield Microscopes

The darkfield contrast method exploits diffraction or scattering of light from structures of a biological specimen or non-uniform features of a material sample.
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