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.

Leitz Laborlux: Tartaric acids, polarization contrast

The Polarization Microscopy Principle

Polarization microscopy is routinely used in the material and earth sciences to identify materials and minerals on the basis of their characteristic refractive properties and colors. In biology,…

Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma imaged with Cell DIVE. Analysis done by Aivia.

A Guide to Spatial Biology

What is spatial biology, and how can researchers leverage its tools to meet the growing demands of biological questions in the post-omics era? This article provides a brief overview of spatial biology…

Image of a 12-μm thick brain section, which was stained with Toluidin blue, before dissection. It was taken with a microscope using a 63x objective.

An Introduction to Laser Microdissection

The heterogeneity of histological and biological specimens often requires isolation of specific single cells or cell groups from surrounding tissue before molecular biology analysis can be carried…

Mouse brain (left) microdissected with a 10x objective (upper right). Inspection of the collection device (lower right).

Molecular Biology Analysis facilitated with Laser Microdissection (LMD)

Extracting biomolecules, proteins, nucleic acids, lipids, and chromosomes, as well as extracting and manipulating cells and tissues with laser microdissection (LMD) enables insights to be gained into…

Brightfield image of a pig liver stained with hematoxylin-eosin (HE).

Spatial Metabolomics: Exploring Tumor Complexity and Therapeutic Insights

In cancer research, it is vital to understand the interaction between tumor cells and their microenvironment, as the tumor microenvironment influences tumor progression significantly. Spatial…

Mosaic scan of a Masson-Goldner stained cat brain. Magnification: 20x.

Lipidomics Analysis of Sparse Cells based on Laser Microdissection

Delve into cellular intricacies with high-coverage targeted lipidomics analysis of sparse cells. This advanced method, integrating Laser Microdissection (LMD) and Liquid Chromatography-Mass…

Image of magnetic steel taken with a 100x objective using Kerr microscopy. The magnetic domains in the grains appear in the image with lighter and darker patterns. A few domains are marked with red arrows. Courtesy of Florian Lang-Melzian, Robert Bosch GmbH, Germany.

Rapidly Visualizing Magnetic Domains in Steel with Kerr Microscopy

The rotation of polarized light after interaction with magnetic domains in a material, known as the Kerr effect, enables the investigation of magnetized samples with Kerr microscopy. It allows rapid…

Image of murine dopaminergic neurons which have been marked for laser microdissection (LMD).

Neuron Isolation in Spatial Context with Laser Microdissection (LMD)

After Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s is the second most common progressive neurodegenerative disease. Before the first symptoms manifest, up to 70% of dopamine-releasing neurons in the mid-brain…

How did Laser Microdissection enable Pioneering Neuroscience Research?

Dr. Marta Paterlini, a Senior Scientist at the Karolinska Institute, shares her experience of using laser microdissection (LMD) in groundbreaking research into adult human neurogenesis and offers…