The Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) has been granted $3.2 million through a Research Infrastructure award by the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center (MLSC). This funding will upgrade the Central Microscopy Facility with two cutting-edge microscopes, fostering research, teaching, and partnerships throughout Massachusetts and further afield.

Anne Sylvester, MBL's director of research, expressed appreciation: "Support from the state is transformative for our research and education community, and we are very grateful to the MLSC. This investment ensures that MBL scientists, visiting researchers and industry collaborators will have access to the newest commercial technologies in microscopy."

The award will bring two advanced microscopes to the MBL in fall 2026: a ZEISS LSM 990 point-scanning confocal microscope equipped with Airyscan 2, Lightfield 4D and a two-photon laser module, along with a Nikon SoRa spinning-disk confocal microscope featuring laser dissection capabilities.

Louis Kerr, director of the MBL's Central Microscopy Facility, noted that "the ZEISS LSM 990 will provide exceptionally fast and precise imaging, operating at speeds of up to 80 frames per second. The technology will allow researchers to visualize rapid biological processes, including the movement of a beating heart in real time."

The Nikon SoRa supports dual-channel simultaneous imaging and rapid image acquisition for 4D imaging. The award also funds a Bruker High-Performance Imaging and Visualization Environment, greatly increasing the facility's computational capacity for image analysis and data visualization.

Combined, the new microscopes and upgraded computing resources will position the MBL as a premier site for biological research, enabling scientists to progress smoothly from concept to advanced experimentation and analysis.

"The MBL has a long history of supporting collaboration in an intensive research environment," Sylvester said. "We also have excellent relationships with the vendors who provide microscopy support, particularly during the MBL summer courses."

"It's been a team effort," Kerr added. "We're grateful for the vendors we work with, who have helped tailor these instruments to best suit the needs of the MBL research community."

The new equipment in the Central Microscopy Facility will be accessible to MBL scientists and visiting researchers starting in fall 2026.

The Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) is dedicated to scientific discovery - exploring fundamental biology, understanding marine biodiversity and the environment, and informing the human condition through research and education. Founded in Woods Hole, Massachusetts in 1888, the MBL is a private, nonprofit institution.

Media Contact:
Camille Ledoux
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SOURCE Marine Biological Laboratory