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.

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Recent posts

Microscopy preprints – new tools and techniques in imaging

Posted by FocalPlane, on 7 August 2026

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

Imaging spotlight: fluorogenic L-DNA probes

Posted by FocalPlane, on 6 August 2026

In this Imaging spotlight, we hear from Bas van Bommel and Helge Ewers about the fluorogenic L-DNA probes they used to optimise DNA-PAINT labelling for single molecule localisation microscopy.

FocalPlane features… Laura Bacete and Sven Truckenbrodt

Posted by FocalPlane, on 5 August 2026

View the recordings from our second webinar on quantitative plant imaging. We heard from Laura Bacete, on ‘Brillouin Microscopy for Quantitative Analysis of Plant Cell Wall Mechanics Across Systems’ and Sven Truckenbrodt on ‘PlantEx: multicolour super-resolution imaging of plants with expansion microscopy’.

Featured image with Saheli Roy

Posted by FocalPlane, on 3 August 2026

Our featured image, acquired by Saheli Roy, depicts a maximum intensity projection of a female Drosophila melanogaster‘s reproductive system – both ovaries, lateral and common oviducts, uterus and seminal receptacle (an organ for sperm storage that allows the female fly to control fertilization). The ovaries are full of auto-fluorescent developing and mature eggs, because the

Microscopy preprints: bioimage analysis

Posted by FocalPlane, on 24 July 2026

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

JCS snapshot: A ULK1–MTFR1L feedback loop links mitochondrial fission, mitophagy and apoptosis

Posted by FocalPlane, on 22 July 2026

In our latest JCS snapshot we hear from Riccardo Babic, Leon Lucya and Christoph Reiter, who, together with Claudine Kraft and team, identified a ULK1–MTFR1L feedback loop that links mitochondrial fission, mitophagy and apoptosis.

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).

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