FocalPlane - Where biology meets microscopy

Welcome to FocalPlane

FocalPlane is a community site for anyone who uses microscopy in their research. It is a place where you can interact with a global community of imaging scientists, engineers, chemists, and bioimage analysts.

FocalPlane is your site and once registered, you are free to share a blog post, add an image to our gallery, post a job advert or put up an event listing.

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Recent posts

Microscopy preprints – applications in biology

Posted by FocalPlane, on 4 October 2024

Here is a curated selection of preprints published recently. In this post, we share preprints that use microscopy tools to answer questions in biology.

STED User Group (BINA/Canada BioImaging), October 10, 12pm EST

Posted by Ethan A. Perets, on 3 October 2024

The next installment of the BioImaging North America and Canada BioImaging STED user group will take place via Zoom on October 10 at 12 pm EST. Andréanne Deschênes (Université Laval) will deliver a presentation, “Multicolor STED Nanoscopy”, followed by group discussion on topics of community interest. This user group is targeted at users of all experience levels, and

When the collaboration makes it out of the joint lab meeting

Posted by Elizabeth-Ann Legere, on 3 October 2024

I am incredibly grateful to The Company of Biologists (Journal of Cell Science) for funding my three-week research collaboration with the lab of Dr. Gabriel Galea at University College London (UCL). My research in Dr. Aimee Ryan’s lab uses chick embryos to examine cell morphogenetic changes and protein localization patterns during neural tube development, the

Apply to become a reporter at the Biologists @ 100 conference

Posted by FocalPlane, on 3 October 2024

Are you keen to get more science communication experience? Is your research related to microscopy or cell biology? FocalPlane is looking for a reporter to attend and report from the Biologists @ 100 conference, happening 24 – 27 March 2025 in Liverpool, UK.

An Interview with Dr. Harikrushnan Balasubramanian

Posted by Subhajit Dutta, on 2 October 2024

Welcome to the FocalPlane Interview Series where we spotlight groundbreaking Asian-origin scientists pushing the boundaries of cell biology and microscopy. Today, we are thrilled to present Dr. Harikrushnan Balasubramanian, a distinguished research specialist at Janelia’s light microscopy core facility. In this engaging interview, he discusses his path to a career in science, his specialization in

Featured image from Lama Khalaily

Posted by FocalPlane, on 27 September 2024

Our featured image, acquired by Lama Khalaily, captures the intricate structure of a mouse cochlea’s hearing organ, highlighting two essential cell types involved in hair cell regeneration. The image reveals four organized rows of sensory hair cells (red), responsible for hearing, intertwined with non-sensory supporting cells (green). These supporting cells play diverse roles in the

Advantages of LED Illumination for Neuroscience Research

Sponsored by CoolLED, on 26 September 2024

LED microscopy illumination has disrupted traditional approaches to high-speed imaging and optogenetic stimulation for neuroscience, and the CoolLED Support Team are available to help researchers understand which filters, light sources and other components are right for each individual setup.

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