Discussions - FocalPlane

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Connecting Researchers Through Bioimaging: Reflections from UCL’s BioImage Interest Group

Posted by Courtney Lancaster, on 11 August 2025

Bioimaging: A bridge across scales and disciplines Bioimaging has become a cornerstone in modern biological research, allowing scientists to visualise the intricate structures of cells and organisms. It also allows us to bridge biological scales — from whole organisms down to molecules. Beyond its beautiful images, bioimaging provides crucial quantitative insights into a whole host

Reflecting on five years of FocalPlane

Posted by Helen Zenner, on 30 July 2025

We are celebrating FocalPlane’s fifth birthday following its launch in 2020. The idea of launching a microscopy community site came from discussions between Journal of Cell Science’s (now former) Executive Editor Sharon Ahmad and Sean Munro, Head of Cell Biology at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge and a Company Director at The Company

Microscopy preprints - bioimage analysis

Posted by FocalPlane, on 11 July 2025

Here is a curated selection of preprints published recently. In this post, we focus specifically on bioimage analysis and data management.

Illuminating the Brain: Microscopy Techniques in Neuroscience and My Applications in the Lab

Posted by Sally Horton, on 23 June 2025

Understanding the brain’s complexity requires more than theory or behaviour; it demands a look at the smallest units of structure and function. Microscopy has long been a cornerstone of neuroscience, evolving rapidly from conventional optical methods to cutting-edge super-resolution and electron techniques. This article explores how confocal microscopy, STORM, and electron microscopy are advancing our

Microscopy preprints - bioimage analysis

Posted by FocalPlane, on 30 May 2025

Here is a curated selection of preprints published recently (up until 22 May). In this post, we focus specifically on bioimage analysis and data management.

Microscopy preprints - applications in biology

Posted by FocalPlane, on 21 February 2025

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

Bringing the past into the future with JCS and FocalPlane

Posted by Helen Zenner, on 19 February 2025

As The Company of Biologists celebrates its 100-year anniversary, Saanjbati Adhikari and Seema Grewal look back over the history and evolution of Journal of Cell Science – from its early days as the Quarterly Journal of Microscopical Science (QJMS) to the publication we are familiar with today. You can read about the past, present and

Microscopy preprints - new tools and techniques in imaging

Posted by FocalPlane, on 7 February 2025

Here is a curated selection of preprints posted recently on new tools and techniques in imaging. Let us know if we are missing any recent preprints that are on your reading list!

How Do +TIPs Control Microtubule Dynamics Through Phase Separation?

Posted by Neelabh Datta, on 31 January 2025

What do you believe drives the precise regulation of microtubule dynamics in eukaryotic cells, allowing them to efficiently divide, move, and communicate? Well, at the heart of this process lies a diverse group of proteins known as microtubule plus-end tracking proteins (+TIPs), which assemble into highly regulated networks at the growing ends of microtubules. These

An interview with Lina El Hajji

Posted by FocalPlane, on 9 January 2025

Lina was one of the three-minute talk presenters at our science communication event, SciCommConnect. At the event, which we co-hosted with the Node and preLights, we were treated to fantastic talks on a range of topics. Lina has kindly allowed us to share her presentation and we caught up with Lina to learn more about

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Microscopy-related articles from our journals

HCR spectral imaging: 10-plex, quantitative, high-resolution RNA and protein imaging in highly autofluorescent samples Development 2024 151: dev202307
filoVision – using deep learning and tip markers to automate filopodia analysis J Cell Sci 2024 137: jcs261274
C omputational tools for quantifying actin filament numbers, lengths, and bundling Biology Open 2024 13: bio.060267

Microscopy-related preprint highlights

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