Strasbourg. The longstanding alliance between one of Europe’s leading centres for biomedical research and the pioneering microscopy company was extended earlier this year, with both parties looking forward to the development of yet more novel microscopy solutions in the future.

So far, the cooperation has resulted in a range of ground-breaking developments, from macroscopy instruments such as the fluorescence macroscopes , including a model for confocal macro-imaging, through to specialist accessories for stereo and light sheet microscopy. The IGBMC’s valuable insight and dedicated testing using real biological samples allowed Leica Microsystems to introduce truly innovative products to the market. These new instruments are now highly regarded by the broader scientific community and have played a vital role in acquiring data for publication in several scientific papers.

Of note is the 2005 project leading to the development of the Leica Macro Fluo, developed for the convenient observation of both animal and plant material. Due to the Macro Fluo’s ease of use and suitability to image a wide variety of specimens over time and under specific conditions, it is being considered for deployment to the International Space Station. More recently, the collaboration led to the development of a range of specialised accessories for lightsheet microscopy.

The event, attended by members of IGBMC and local scientists, the Leica Microsystems team involved in the collaboration, was opened by Professor Bertrand Séraphin who stated, ‘’One of the specificity of our institute is to work across a large panel of scales, from atoms to animals and at each scale we need to see what we are doing. Our 20 years of collaboration with Leica made this possible.” Bertrand Séraphin is the Director of the Institute of Genetics and Molecular and Cellular Biology (IGBMC).

Fedja Bobanovic, Vice President Life Science at Leica Microsystems added: “The past is something we celebrate, future we create. A long partnership is based on passion for innovation. Opening innovation is the most important thing for the future decade. It is why we are partnering with IGBMC, an institute always innovating.”