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

Featured image with Kaiden Power

Posted by FocalPlane, on 26 September 2025

Our featured image, acquired by Kaiden Power, shows the head and probolae of an Acrobeles complexus nematode. The cuticle furrows (annuli) and cilia pores are stained with Concanavalin A (red). The sample was mounted and imaged live on a DeltaVision widefield microscope with deconvolution post-acquisition.

FocalPlane features… preLights recording

Posted by FocalPlane, on 25 September 2025

In our FocalPlane features… preLights webinar, Felipe Del Valle Batalla and Vibha Singh presented live preLights highlighting preprinted research from Carmen Rodilla-Ramírez, Francesca Bottanelli and colleagues on the link between T-cell protrusions and CAR signalling, and from Eva Mejía-Ramírez, Carolina Florian and colleagues on the role of RhoA in stem cell ageing

Imaging with… Cellular Analysis Facility, University of Glasgow

Posted by FocalPlane, on 24 September 2025

In our ‘Imaging with…’ blog post, we meet the staff of the Cellular Analysis Facility – Shared Research Facilities, College of Medicine, Veterinary & Life Sciences, University of Glasgow.

Join the UK Euro-BioImaging Node – Expression of Interest Open Until 2 December 2025

Posted by Georgina Fletcher, on 22 September 2025

We’re delighted to announce an exciting opportunity for UK biological bioimaging facilities to join the established UK Euro-BioImaging Node as part of our strategic expansion. Important: This call is specifically for biological imaging facilities to expand the existing UK Node. This is separate from the planned biomedical Node imaging sites, which will be established later

Microscopy preprints – applications in biology

Posted by FocalPlane, on 19 September 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.

JCS snapshot – TMEM184B modulates endolysosomal acidification via the vesicular proton pump

Posted by FocalPlane, on 17 September 2025

In our latest JCS snapshot we hear from Elizabeth Wright, who, together with Martha Bhattacharya and colleagues, discovered that TMEM184B modulates endolysosomal acidification via the vesicular proton pump. In this snapshot, Elizabeth takes us through the key findings from their research.

FocalPlane features… membrane trafficking

Posted by FocalPlane, on 16 September 2025

Registration is open for our upcoming mini-symposium together with the popular Membrane Trafficking webinar series, organised by Francesca Bottanelli, Felix Campelo and Ishier Raote. Our event, on Thursday 25 September, will be a celebration of the membrane trafficking community.

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