Science Lab

Learn. Share. Contribute. The knowledge portal of Leica Microsystems. Find scientific research and teaching material on the subject of microscopy. The portal supports beginners, experienced practitioners and scientists alike in their everyday work and experiments. Explore interactive tutorials and application notes, discover the basics of microscopy as well as high-end technologies. Become part of the Science Lab community and share your expertise.

Fixed patient-derived neuroendocrine tumor organoids labeled with DAPI (cyan) and phalloidin (magenta), imaged using Viventis SCAPE; scale bar 50μm. Courtesy of Marina Cuenca and Heleen Jungen (Dayton lab), EMBL Barcelona.

What’s the Best Organoid Imaging Approach for Early Drug Discovery?

Organoids and other complex in vitro models (CIVMs) are becoming increasingly important in early drug discovery and translational research, driven by the need for more predictive, human-relevant data…

Large field of view (FOV) 2D slices of a 1 mm diameter midbrain neural organoid stained with DAPI (blue, nuclear stain), β-tubulin (green, neuronal stain), and GFAP (red, astrocyte stain). Acquired on THUNDER Imager Cell with 10x magnification. Left: Raw widefield image, Right: THUNDER cleared image. Scale bar 400 μm. Sample courtesy of Dr Tanya Singh, University of Oxford, UK.

Fast, High-Contrast Widefield Imaging of Optically Challenging Samples

Live‑cell imaging of large, complex biological samples often requires large fields of view, sub-cellular resolution, high-sensitivity, and fast acquisition – all while maintaining low illumination…

Zebrafish heart, DAPI (nuclei, blue), Tropomyosin (cardiomyocytes, red) and GFP (primordial cardiac layer, green). Courtesy of Anna Jazwinska, University of Fribourg, Switzerland.

A Guide to Fluorescence Microscopy

Fluorescence microscopy uses the ability of fluorophores, dyes, or fluorescent proteins to emit light of a specific wavelength after being excited with light of a shorter wavelength. Biomolecules can…

The infinite light path of a Leica microscope can be accessed between the light source and objective lens. This approach utilizing mirrors and beam splitters in the illumination path allows users to perform multiple applications with the microscope.

Infinity Optical Systems - From “Infinity Optics” to the Infinity Port

“Infinity Optics” is the concept of a light path with parallel rays between the objective and tube lens of a microscope [1]. Placing flat optical components into this “infinity space” which do not…

U2OS cells transfected with an Mx1-GFP plasmid (signal enhanced using Alexa Fluor 488-conjugared anti-GFP antibody) and co-stained for nuclear DNA (Hoechst 33342), microtubules (Alexa 555) and F-actin (ATTO 643). Image was captured on Mateo FL.

Microscopy and AI Solutions for 2D Cell Culture

This eBook explores the integration of microscopy and AI technologies in 2D cell culture workflows. It highlights how traditional imaging methods—such as brightfield, phase contrast, and…

Image of roundworm C. elegans acquired with a M205 FA fluorescence automated stereo microscope in combination with Rottermann contrast. Areas labelled with mCherry are seen as reddish purple.

A Guide to C. elegans Research – Working with Nematodes

Efficient microscopy techniques for C. elegans research are outlined in this guide. As a widely used model organism with about 70% gene homology to humans, the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans (also…

These images illustrate the need for multiple z-slices to capture all gH2Ax foci in a given cell and get an accurate count.

Development and Derisking of CRISPR Therapies for Rare Diseases

This on-demand presentation by Dr. Fyodor Urnov and Dr. Sadik Kassim, originally delivered at ASGCT 2025, focused on a critical challenge in genetic medicine: how to scale CRISPR therapies from…

A Guide to Zebrafish Research

To obtain optimal results while doing zebrafish research, especially during screening, sorting, handling, and imaging, seeing the fine details and structures is important. They help researchers make…

Image: Human stem cell-derived mid brain organoids. Courtesy of Dr Tanya Singh, University of Oxford.

Unlocking the Secrets of Organoid Models in Biomedical Research

Get ready to delve deeper into the world of organoids and 3D models, which are essential tools for advancing our understanding of human health. Navigating these complex structures and obtaining clear…