Case studies - FocalPlane

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Seeing comes before knowing: how live imaging led to the discovery of blood vessel-resident macrophages

Posted by FocalPlane, on 12 August 2026

Bart Weijts and Catherine Robin share the behind the paper story on their discovery of blood vessel-resident macrophages.

JCS snapshot - Live imaging of epithelial phagocyte differentiation in the Drosophila ovary reveals transient and novel behaviours

Posted by FocalPlane, on 11 August 2026

In our latest JCS snapshot we hear from Caique Almeida Machado Costa, who, together with Wu-Min Deng and team, used time-lapse imaging to uncover dynamic behaviours during epithelial-to-phagocyte differentiation, including migration, delamination, long-range target capture and cell engulfment. In this snapshot, Cai take us through the key findings from their research.

Pearling and directed trafficking as determinants of mitochondrial genome organization and network architecture

Posted by FocalPlane, on 21 July 2026

In this highlight, we hear from Juan C. Landoni, who discusses his recent work uncovering how mitochondria distribute their genome through pearling (Landoni et al. 2026, Science), and the key role of mitochondrial trafficking in maintaining new material dissemination and network architecture (Winter, Landoni et al. 2026, JCB).

Compartmentalized Cytoplasmic Tradewinds

Posted by GalbraithLab, on 9 July 2026

Cathy Galbraith and Jim Galbraith share their story of answering how does a cell deliver a soluble protein — untethered to any motor, riding on no track — to the right place at the right time? They used six different imaging approaches to discover hidden cytoplasmic compartments and tradewinds that were hiding in plain sight.

Living Architectures

Posted by FocalPlane, on 30 June 2026

To mark the 40th anniversary of the Musée d’Orsay, the CytoMorpho laboratory was invited to create a performance based on a series of experiments conducted for the occasion. The images produced for this show were real. There were no digital simulations or generative artificial intelligence. They were series of true photographs taken with microscopes.

Imaging spotlight: Cryo-ExM reveals the architecture of the human cytotoxic immunological synapse

Posted by FocalPlane, on 15 June 2026

In this behind the paper story, Benita Wolf and colleagues share their research using cryo-expansion microscopy (cryo-ExM) to map the architecture of the human cytotoxic immunological synapse.

Imaging spotlight: PLIN5 phosphorylation tunes mitochondria–lipid droplet coupling in the liver

Posted by FocalPlane, on 29 April 2026

In this paper highlight, we hear from Natalie Porat-Shliom, who discusses her recent paper on how PLIN5 phosphorylation regulates mitochondria–lipid droplet contacts in the liver.

Imaging spotlight: Calibrating expansion microscopy to map receptor sorting domains in endosomes

Posted by FocalPlane, on 15 April 2026

In this behind the paper story, Tayla Shakespeare and Izzy Jayasinghe share their research mapping receptor sorting domains in endosomes using expansion microscopy (ExM). As part of this research, they developed a calibrated 3D ExM toolkit to measure local expansion.

Imaging spotlight: dissecting the precancerous niche

Posted by FocalPlane, on 25 March 2026

In this paper highlight we hear from Greta Skrupskelyte and Maria Alcolea, who discuss their recent paper dissecting the role of the microenvironment and tumour-stromal communication in tumour growth and survival.

Spider-like neurons finding their way: signposts for multipolar migration in the developing brain

Posted by Jaakko Lehtimäki, on 11 March 2026

Developing neurons travel large distances and orchestrate into precise layers to enable functional wiring of the brain. Within this unique tissue environment, many neurons use their neighbors like railway tracks, navigating in a directed manner toward their correct layer. However, this is not always the case. Multipolar migration, where cells extend multiple protrusions and display

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Microscopy-related articles from our journals

Toggle-Untoggle – a cell segmentation tool with an interactive user verification interface J Cell Sci 2025 138: jcs264154
The ratio of Wnt signaling activity to Sox2 transcription factor levels predicts neuromesodermal fate potential Development 2025 152: dev204661
The short isoform of Tango1 is dispensable for zebrafish survival but is required for skeletal patterning and integrity Biology Open 2025 14: bio062117

Microscopy-related preprint highlights

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