MBL Awarded $3.2 Million to Expand Cutting-Edge Microscopy Infrastructure
The Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) has received a $3.2 million Research Infrastructure award from the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center (MLSC) to enhance its Central Microscopy Facility. This funding will facilitate the acquisition of two new state-of-the-art microscopes to support research, education, and industry collaboration across the Commonwealth and beyond.
Anne Sylvester, MBL's director of research, expressed gratitude for the support, stating, "Support from the state is transformative for our research and education community. This investment ensures that MBL scientists, visiting researchers, and industry collaborators will have access to the newest commercial technologies in microscopy."
The two advanced microscopes funded by the award are scheduled to arrive at the MBL in the fall of 2026. These include a ZEISS LSM 990 point-scanning confocal microscope equipped with Airyscan 2, Lightfield 4D, and a two-photon laser module, as well as a Nikon SoRa spinning-disk confocal microscope that features laser dissection capabilities.
According to Louis Kerr, director of the MBL's Central Microscopy Facility, the ZEISS LSM 990 will enable exceptionally fast and precise imaging, operating at speeds of up to 80 frames per second. This technology will allow researchers to visualize rapid biological processes, such as the movement of a beating heart in real time.
The Nikon SoRa provides dual-channel simultaneous imaging and supports rapid image acquisition for 4D imaging. Additionally, the award will fund the acquisition of a Bruker High-Performance Imaging and Visualization Environment, which will significantly enhance the facility's computational capabilities for image analysis and data visualization.
The new equipment and enhanced infrastructure are set to establish the MBL as a comprehensive destination for biological research, allowing scientists to transition seamlessly from generating ideas to conducting sophisticated experiments and analyses. The new additions will be available to MBL scientists and visiting researchers starting in fall 2026.