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…

Long-term in toto imaging of FUCCI2 intestinal organoids.

Multiscale Imaging of Organoids: High Content to Light Sheet

Learn multiscale organoid imaging: fixed high content phenotyping, gentle dual view light sheet, and reproducible pipelines that turn 3D data into insights.

History, Developments and Trends of Microscopy in Cancer Research

Cancer is a global disease, with 18 million new cases diagnosed and 10 million cancer-related deaths worldwide in 2020. This burden is set to increase, with a projected increase in cases of ~55% by…

Mouse fibroblasts where F-actin is labelled with FITC (green), tubulin with Cy5 (red), and nuclei with DAPI (blue). Image courtesy of Dr. Günter Giese, Max Planck Institute for Medical Research, Heidelberg, Germany.

Overview of Fluorescent Dyes in terms of Applications and Properties

An introduction to commonly used fluorescent dyes and an overview of their characteristics are given in this article. Fluorescence microscopy is used for the study of specific cellular components with…

Researchers Insights: Microscopy in Cancer Research

Discover how imaging techniques are driving cancer research forward. In this issue, we present comprehensive multimodal studies using microscopy, as well as new directions in intraoperative cancer…

67-hour, multi-position time-lapse of mouse intestinal organoids expressing the cell cycle reporter FUCCI2 (hGem-mVenus and hCdt1-mCherry).

Focus on Long-Term Imaging in 3D with Light Sheet Microscopy

Long-term 3D imaging reveals how complex multicellular systems grow and develop and how cells move and interact over time, unlocking critical insights into development, disease, and regeneration.…

Fluorescence microscopy of sectioned tissue, showing the interface between the extensor digitorum longus muscle and the common peroneal nerve in the adult rat. Regenerative peripheral nerve interface (RPNI) at 2 weeks. Image acquired using Mica. Stained for nuclei (blue), neurofilaments (green) and S100B (red). Image courtesy of Dr. Aaron Lee, Department of Bioengineering (Lab of Dr. Rylie Green), Imperial College London.

How to Image Axon Regeneration in Deep Muscle Tissue

This study highlights Dr. Aaron Lee’s research on mapping nerve regeneration in muscle grafts post-amputation. Limb loss often leads to reduced quality of life, not only from tissue loss but also due…

5 hour time-lapse maximum intensity projection of a zebrafish embryo along the z-axis at 3 days post fertilization. Left: microglia cells. Right: bright field channel. Courtesy of Prof. Francesca Peri, University of Zurich, Switzerland.

Capturing Developmental Dynamics in 3D

This application note showcases how the Viventis Deep dual-view light sheet microscope was successfully used by researchers for exploring high-resolution, long-term imaging of 3D multicellular models…