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Journal of Microscopy

○ Wiley

Preprints posted in the last 90 days, ranked by how well they match Journal of Microscopy's content profile, based on 20 papers previously published here. The average preprint has a 0.01% match score for this journal, so anything above that is already an above-average fit.

1
NucLogic: Logic-based geometric 3D nuclear segmentation for fast and robust analysis of challenging biological imaging data

van Dijk, S. G.; Ledesma-Terron, M.; Kraus, S. J.; van Brussel, R.; Marquez Legorreta, E.; Kemp, L. J. S.; Suijkerbuijk, S. J.

2026-10-06 cell biology 10.64898/2026.10.05.756154 medRxiv
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Nuclear segmentation in 3D microscopy remains challenging, particularly for low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) data from timelapse imaging, in vivo experiments, or dense tissue samples. Yet accurate 3D nuclear segmentation is a prerequisite for quantitative single-cell analysis, making this a key bottleneck for high-throughput study of challenging datasets. We present NucLogic, a fast and robust 3D nuclear segmentation algorithm that combines the maturity of 2D segmentation with geometric stitching rules based on nuclear shape, orientation, and intensity, to reconstruct accurate 3D volumes. NucLogic reliably segments challenging datasets including long-term timelapse imaging of organoids, and large dense structures such as the zebrafish brain. Benchmarked against other state-of-the-art segmentation tools, NucLogic matches F1 scores at high SNR, with increasing outperformance as SNR decreases. Importantly, segmentation completes at 20-50% of the computation time, with greater speed gains on larger images. Beyond segmentation, NucLogic includes an intuitive graphical user interface allowing non-experts to segment, quantify, and visualize 3D and 4D data. This enables easy quantification of cell numbers and integration of a variety of both cell-intrinsic properties, such as phenotype, morphology, and local environment metrics, including density and spatial interactions. Together, NucLogic makes quantitative 3D nuclear analysis of previously unmanageable datasets accessible to a broad research community.

2
BrightEyes-Scope: A Reference Implementation for Image Scanning Microscopy with SPAD Array Detection

LE, L.; Zunino, A.; Slenders, E.; Bucci, A.; Donato, M.; Vicidomini, G.

2026-10-02 bioengineering 10.64898/2026.09.30.755689 medRxiv
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Image scanning microscopy (ISM) is emerging as the natural evolution of confocal laser-scanning microscopy, combining optical sectioning and a two-fold improvement in lateral resolution with high signal-to-noise ratio. Single-photon avalanche diode (SPAD) array detectors enable an effective implementation of ISM by recording a micro-image at each scan position with single-photon sensitivity, negligible readout noise, and without the fixed frame-readout constraints of conventional cameras. Nevertheless, SPAD array-based ISM remains largely confined to laboratories with expertise in microscope development. Here, we present BrightEyes-Scope, a reference implementation of a SPAD array-based ISM system. We provide step-by-step guidelines for optical design, system construction, alignment, calibration, data acquisition, and image reconstruction. Presented as a complete ISM microscope, BrightEyes-Scope also serves as a reference for upgrading existing laser-scanning microscopes. We anticipate that it will accelerate the adoption of ISM for quantitative super-resolution imaging.

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Shaping cryogenic 3D volume imaging by pFIB ion species and milling voltage

Sviben, S.; Thompson, C.; Braun, C.; Venkataraman, K.; Heebner, J.; Kelley, R.; Qayyum, M. Z.; Kotecha, A.; Khalighifar, A.; Skiniotis, G.

2026-09-18 cell biology 10.64898/2026.09.16.751696 medRxiv
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Cryogenic plasma focused ion beam-scanning electron microscopy (cryo-pFIB-SEM) enables nanoscale volume imaging of vitrified cells and tissues, but the fidelity of each newly exposed block-face depends on how ions interact with compositionally heterogeneous biological material. Using xenon, argon, oxygen, and nitrogen plasma beams across a 30-2 kV voltage range, we examined how ion species and accelerating voltage influence block-face quality and ultrastructural fidelity. Curtaining imposed a species-dependent lower limit on accelerating voltage, with xenon and argon supporting uniform milling to 10 kV and oxygen and nitrogen to 15 kV. Monte Carlo simulations predicted substantially reduced ion penetration and atomic displacement under these species-specific low-kV conditions. Experimentally, lowering milling voltage suppressed charging and topographic artifacts, with the largest effects observed at heterogeneous interfaces. Oxygen and nitrogen produced greater membrane sharpness and organelle contrast than the noble gases, and these differences influenced machine-learning-based recognition of fine organelle features in 3D datasets. Together, these findings show that cryo-pFIB-SEM image quality cannot be optimized by accelerating voltage or ion species independently. Instead, milling performance reflects a tradeoff among surface fidelity, charging, contrast, and curtaining that depends on local specimen composition. Species-specific low-kV milling therefore provides a practical framework for matching cryo-pFIB-SEM acquisition conditions to the structural and biophysical properties of the biological target.

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Rapid volumetric reconstruction and tracking for Fourier light-field microscopy enables real-time calcium imaging in freely behaving Hydra.

Adkins, R.; Hausen, R.; Noss, J.; Lemson, G.; Howard, J.

2026-09-21 biophysics 10.64898/2026.09.17.752193 medRxiv
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Fourier light field microscopy (FLFM) enables high-speed volumetric imaging by encoding multiple angular perspectives of a three-dimensional sample onto a single image. For this reason, FLFM is well-suited to sparse and rapidly evolving biological systems. To aid in the adoption of FLFM, we present OpenFLR, an open-source software framework for real-time volumetric reconstruction, three-dimensional particle tracking, and calcium image processing using FLFM. OpenFLR reconstruction is distributed as four interchangeable interfaces: a Python library, a command-line script, an interactive web application, and an ImageJ/micromanager plugin, so that the pipeline is accessible to both developers and bench biologists. Building on established Richardson-Lucy deconvolution, we use a hybrid experimental-computational PSF calibration strategy and a triangulation approach to tracking to extract particle positions in 3D directly from raw light field frames, bypassing reconstruction. We validate the complete pipeline on GCaMP6s recordings of freely behaving Hydra vulgaris, tracking sparse populations of neurons as they undergo large three-dimensional displacements.

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SPC-Clean: A napari Plugin for Reducing Speckle and Isolated Pixel Noise in Fluorescence Microscopy Images

Alirezazadeh, P.; Kirsch, E. M.; Tian, Y.; Bewersdorf, J.; Rittscher, J.; Mergenthaler, P.

2026-08-27 bioinformatics 10.64898/2026.08.24.744862 medRxiv
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Speckle artifacts and isolated foreground pixels are common in fluorescence microscopy and can interfere with segmentation and subsequent quantitative image analysis. Conventional denoising methods often modify image intensities through filtering or smoothing, potentially altering biologically relevant fluorescence signals. We introduce Sparse Pixel Cluster Cleaning (SPC-Clean), a topology-aware method that removes poorly supported foreground pixels through iterative neighborhood analysis of a thresholded mask. SPC-Clean is deterministic, training-free, preserves original fluorescence intensities for practical microscopy workflows.

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Streamlining large-scale high-resolution electron tomography with VolWeaver

Bregy, I.; Mesman, R.; Tassan-Lugrezin, S.; Kooij, T. W. A.; van Niftrik, L.

2026-08-18 cell biology 10.64898/2026.08.14.744809 medRxiv
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Researchers using electron microscopy must often balance a trade-off between obtaining high-resolution structural information and preserving sufficient cellular context. At one end of this spectrum, single particle cryo-electron microscopy and cryo-electron tomography provide near-molecular detail but are typically limited to relatively small fields of view. At the other, volume electron microscopy approaches, such as scanning electron microscopy of resin-embedded specimens, capture large cellular volumes but generally at lower resolution. Consequently, linking nanoscale structural information to larger cellular architecture remains a significant challenge. To address this gap, we optimised a transmission electron tomography workflow for resin-embedded malaria parasites that allows us to visualise targeted regions of interest at nanometre-scale resolution while retaining several micrometres of surrounding cellular context. Here, we present our current best-practice pipeline for sample preparation, tomogram acquisition, and reconstruction. In addition, we introduce VolWeaver, a data-processing framework, that integrates high-resolution tomographic datasets into serial section volume reconstructions, enabling the visualisation and interpretation of ultrastructural features within their broader cellular environment.

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BactoMate: an integrated platform for reproducible bacterial microscopy analysis

Hallenga, L.; Fornoff, S.; Pesch, M.; Kohlheyer, D.; Ahmad, S.; Hoer, J.; Erhardt, M.; Popp, P. F.

2026-08-06 microbiology 10.64898/2026.08.06.743177 medRxiv
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Quantitative microscopy of microorganisms increasingly produces large, multidimensional datasets, yet their analysis often depends on fragmented workflows spanning file conversion, segmentation, quality control, fluorescence quantification, tracking, and visualization. Here, we present BactoMate, an open-source, cross-platform graphical user interface that integrates these steps into a unified workflow for microbial image analysis. BactoMate incorporates established segmentation methods and supports both single-file and batch processing. Its modules enable image preprocessing, cell segmentation, morphology-based quality control, fluorescence and foci quantification, single-cell tracking, lineage reconstruction, structured data export, and generation of quality-control and visualization outputs. We demonstrate the applicability of BactoMate across multichannel fluorescence imaging, bacterial swimming assays, microcolony lineage analysis, phage infection assay and a microfluidic time series. All user-configurable parameters are exposed through the interface, are recorded alongside structured outputs and can be loaded for reproducible image analyses across experiments to reduce introduction of bias. By reducing workflow handoffs while preserving parameter control and exportable results, BactoMate enables accessible, reproducible, and scalable quantitative analysis of microbial microscopy data.

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ZEISS arivis Cloud: a cloud-based platform for deep learning model training and scalable bioimage analysis

Bhattiprolu, S.; Toor, M.; Soyer, S.

2026-08-13 bioinformatics 10.64898/2026.08.07.743540 medRxiv
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Modern biological imaging generates large, complex datasets that require scalable and reproducible image analysis methods. Deep learning has demonstrated strong performance on bioimage segmentation tasks, but training custom models has remained inaccessible to many researchers due to requirements for GPU infrastructure, programming expertise, and large annotated training datasets. ZEISS arivis Cloud is a browser-based platform for deep learning model training that addresses these barriers through partial annotation support, AI-assisted labeling with SAM (Segment Anything Model), pretrained model initialization, and automatically configured training pipelines requiring no machine learning expertise. The platform supports two segmentation tasks: semantic segmentation using a U-Net-style architecture with an EfficientNet encoder and PixelShuffle decoder, and instance segmentation based on Mask2Former with a Swin-Tiny backbone. Both pipelines incorporate microscopy-specific adaptations including smooth tiling, multi-channel input support, dataset-specific normalization, and partial-annotation-aware loss functions protected by patents US-20240078681-A1 and US-20250111519-A1. Trained models integrate directly with ZEISS arivis Pro for pipeline-based image analysis, ZEISS arivis Hub for parallel execution across large datasets, and ZEISS ZEN for content-aware guided acquisition. We describe the platform architecture, training methodology, segmentation architectures, reproducibility and versioning mechanisms, and FAIR compliance, and illustrate the complete workflow through two intestinal organoid imaging examples. arivis Cloud is freely accessible to student users; other users access the platform via subscription at https://www.arivis.cloud/.

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Cross-scale Imaging of Live Botanical Specimens using Fourier Ptychographic Microscopy

Copeland, L.; Walker, L. D.; Baxter, K. J.; Shaw, M. J.; McConnell, G.

2026-09-18 plant biology 10.64898/2026.09.16.752051 medRxiv
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Light microscopic imaging of botanical specimens is typically performed using diffraction-limited methods which can image either a small field of view (FOV) with a shallow depth of field (DOF) at high resolution, or a large FOV and large DOF at low resolution. As such, many of the important small features, such as cells in the root cap of Arabidopsis, chloroplasts in algae and leaf guard cells, cannot be resolved in high numbers for meaningful statistical interpretation of results. Fourier ptychographic microscopy (FPM) is an accessible low-cost solution for large format bioimaging which makes use of multiangle illumination and iterative phase retrieval to recover high-resolution estimates of sample phase and amplitude. To date much FPM research has focused on optimising hardware and image reconstruction techniques with biological and biomedical applications limited primarily to mammalian cell cultures and histological tissue sections. We have, for the first time, applied FPM for label-free imaging of these large, living botanical specimens to investigate cellular and sub-cellular structures over multiple length scales simultaneously, with the aim of resolving structures that cannot be seen with diffraction-limited methods over a large field of view. With our FPM system we demonstrate imaging of living samples mounted in water with a resolution of 615 nm over a 3.6 mm diagonal FOV, producing a 9-fold improvement in resolution compared to conventional brightfield imaging. This allows for individual root cap cells of Arabidopsis thaliana to be resolved within the context or larger root structures, individual chloroplasts identified in large section of Spirogyra varians, and high-resolution colour imaging of Tradescantia zebrina stomata and chloroplasts across large leaf sections.

10
3D Electron Microscopy Reveals Diverse Chromosome Morphologies Across Dinoflagellate Species

Philipp, L.; Ittah, E.; Schumann, D.; de Fourestier, J.; Reznikov, N.; Weber, S. C.

2026-08-11 cell biology 10.64898/2026.08.10.743404 medRxiv
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Dinoflagellate chromosomes adopt a highly condensed and organized morphology, with periodic bands and arches observed by traditional Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). However, the limited two-dimensional field of view of TEM has prevented a precise characterization of the inherently three-dimensional organization of dinoflagellate chromosomes. Moreover, given the vast diversity among dinoflagellate species and the lack of a systematic comparison of their chromosomes, it remains unclear whether dinoflagellate chromosomes share common organizational features or instead exhibit significant cell- or species-specific differences. Here, we acquire three whole-nucleus 3D Focused Ion Beam Scanning Electron Microscopy (FIB-SEM) datasets at 4 nm voxel size for each of four dinoflagellate species: Symbiodinium microadriaticum, Breviolum minutum, Fugacium kawagutii, and Crypthecodinium cohnii. We compile these data with previously published image volumes from four additional species and present an analysis of the largest collection of dinoflagellate FIB-SEM images to date. Common features observed across all eight species include the absence of physical confinement or spatial clustering of chromosomes in the nucleus. In addition, by decomposing each chromosome into a weighted sum of orthogonal shapes using Spherical Harmonics Expansion, we find a principal component encapsulating 88% of the total shape variance that is common to all species. However, our analysis also reveals differences in chromosome morphology across species. First, while many chromosomes exhibit surface ridges with left-handed helical twist, the proportion of chromosomes with such ridges varies extensively across species. Second, while chromosomes in most species are discrete and well-separated, chromosomes in F. kawagutii are interconnected in a single contiguous network. Lastly, to our knowledge, we report the first observation in eukaryotic cells of toroid-shaped DNA objects, whose numbers vary dramatically across cells and species. Overall, our results show that dinoflagellate chromosomes exhibit both shared organizational features and pronounced species-specific deviations.

11
Whole-organ surface mapping using multiview projection reconstruction

Brewer, E. S.; Almasian, M.; Saberigarakani, A.; Liu, D.; Azizi, A.; Ware, S. A.; Karambelkar, K.; Shah, N.; Vadlamudu, M.; Obaid, G.; Tong, D.; Ding, Y.

2026-08-27 bioengineering 10.64898/2026.08.26.747115 medRxiv
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While light-sheet microscopy is emerging as a robust method for volumetric imaging with improved axial resolution, its capability regarding two-dimensional, surface-level mapping is often hindered by limitations in data redundancy and reconstruction efficiency stemming from volumetric registration methods. We demonstrate that a multiview imaging approach in an axially-swept, dithered light-sheet microscope paired with computational image reconstruction of view projections is able to address these trade-offs to enable large-scale mapping of surface structural features, leveraging the advantages of multiview light-sheet in scalable field of view, working distance, and near isotropic resolution across the entire imaging depth. To aid in the acquisition and analysis of two-dimensional surface structures, we present a tailored surface mapping workflow and a Fiji plugin for computational reconstruction, promoting robust and comprehensive visualization of surface features of uncleared volumetric samples. Our strategy, termed projection reconstruction for imaging surface morphology (PRISM), integrates axially swept dithered light-sheet microscopy and post-processing software for multiview imaging. The imaging hardware enables near-isotropic resolution across its entire field of view, while the software implementation leverages rigid and affine transformations to align two-dimensional projections of multiview samples. It is designed to work with the BigStitcher pipeline, leveraging its robust algorithm to provide support for two-dimensional image alignment and stitching. We demonstrate the capability of PRISM in studies of lymphatic network mapping in the epicardial layer of intact mouse hearts, as well as surface profiles of FaDu spheroids labeled with antibody-nanodiamond conjugates. This method allows us to quantify cardiac lymphatic branch numbers, diameters, and lengths of a Prox1-tdTomato mouse cardiac model, as well as cluster number and diameters of epidermal growth factor receptor within a FaDu spheroid labeled with a nanodiamond-antibody conjugate, with a significant reduction of post-processing data size. PRISM leverages multiview image projections to promote studies of cardiac lymphatics in mouse models and surface receptor distributions within spheroid models, enabling efficient surface mapping of large, intact, and uncleared biological samples across a variety of scales.

12
A custom two-in-one HIST and line-scanning confocal excitation module

Arthur, C.; Milkie, D. E.; Ulmer, A. J.; Ellis, J. P.; Kim, H. K.; Song, F.; Chavez, A.; Legant, W. R.

2026-09-16 bioengineering 10.64898/2026.09.14.751507 medRxiv
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Fluorescence microscopy applications often require specialized instruments that are optimized for different experimental goals. Here, we present a reconfigurable microscopy module that integrates highly inclined swept tile (HIST) illumination for high-sensitivity single-molecule imaging and line-scanning confocal microscopy for rapid and optically sectioned volumetric acquisition. The system shares major hardware components, including lasers, scanning optics, and detection hardware, while employing unique beam shaping pathways to enable rapid switching between modalities without realignment. We characterize the module performance by measuring the excitation beam profiles, the point spread functions (PSF), and the optical transfer functions (OTF) across 40x, 60x, and 100x magnifications and demonstrate imaging applications including diffraction-limited fixed and live-cell volumetric imaging, fluorescence recovery after photobleaching, and super-resolution DNA-PAINT and single particle tracking (SPT). We also demonstrate the capability to execute multimodal imaging workflows by performing confocal imaging for chromatin density classification correlated with SPT data of nuclear proteins with diverse functions. Together, these results demonstrate a versatile imaging platform capable of supporting complementary fluorescence imaging modalities within a single instrument.

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vFLIM: Machine Learning-enabled Light Sheet Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging

Hobson, C. M.; Puls, O. F.; Aaron, J. S.; Denans, N.; Schmidt, A.; Farrants, H.; Schreiter, E. R.; Chew, T.-L.

2026-08-26 bioengineering 10.64898/2026.08.25.747039 medRxiv
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The lifetime of fluorescent molecules provides an orthogonal readout to fluorescence intensity, opening experimental possibilities of measuring changes in local molecular environments, mechanical tension, and metabolism, among other factors. These changes are best studied live and in vivo; however, limitations of slow imaging speeds, high phototoxicity, and increased data size and complexity have significantly impeded progress on this front. Here, we present a complete and transferable pipeline consisting of a light sheet FLIM microscope and an accompanying machine learning model for data processing that renders long-term and/or high-speed volumetric FLIM (vFLIM) tractable in living systems. We benchmark this pipeline across several biological use cases, model systems, lifetime ranges, and spatiotemporal scales, showcasing a suite of possibilities that our workflow enables. This comprehensive pipeline from imaging to analysis is a crucial step forward towards disseminating the power of live vFLIM to the broader bioimaging community.

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An Open-Source Magnetofluorescence Imaging Platform forPlate-Scale Screening of Magnetic Field Effects in LiveBacteria

Lodesani, A.; Ross, B. L.; Sridharan, V.; Aiello, C. D.

2026-07-29 bioengineering 10.64898/2026.07.28.741305 medRxiv
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Magnetic field effects (MFEs) in biological systems are typically small and experimentally challenging to measure reproducibly across large sample populations. Existing approaches to measure such effects often rely on low-throughput microscopy or custom-built magnetic stimulation systems that provide limited control over magnetic field geometry, synchronization, or experimental automation. Here, we present an open-source magnetofluorescence imaging platform designed for bacterial plate-scale screening of MFEs in live colonies. The instrument integrates a programmable three-axis vector electromagnet, synchronized fluorescence excitation and imaging, and integrated acquisition software with per-frame metadata logging on a hardware-synchronized data acquisition card. An extensive calibration procedure enables accurate generation of arbitrary magnetic field vectors, while synchronized triggering ensures deterministic alignment between field application, illumination, and image acquisition. The system images an entire 100 mm Petri dish in a single acquisition. Typical experiments monitor hundreds of bacterial colonies simultaneously over multi-hour acquisition sequences. Control software, calibration routines, mechanical design files, and acquisition workflows are provided openly to facilitate replication. Instrument performance is demonstrated through detection of magnetic field-dependent fluorescence changes in E. coli expressing the engineered magnetosensitive fluorescent protein MagLOV2. This instrument provides a flexible and scalable platform for high-throughput magnetobiology, synthetic biology, and quantum biology experiments.

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Semi-Automated CellProfiler Pipelines for Robust Quantification of Microglial Density, Distribution and Morphology

Bobotis, B. C.; Landwehr, A.; Hadera, V.; Trudel, A.; Gomes, F.; Tremblay, M.-E.

2026-09-23 cell biology 10.64898/2026.09.22.753598 medRxiv
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The field of microglial research has evolved throughout the years. Microglia, the immune cells of the central nervous system, are recognized as highly heterogeneous and dynamic cells, known for modifying their structure and function based on the local context. Investigating microglial density, spatial distribution, and morphological states is important for uncovering their distinct functional states in health and pathology. However, quantifying these features accurately is often a methodological challenge. Fully automated computational approaches often fail to capture subtle biological nuances and complex structural variations. Also, the high diversity of image sets makes it difficult to maintain consistent reliability. In contrast, entirely manual quantification is labor-intensive and prone to observer bias. To bridge this gap, we propose a semi-automated framework using the open-source software CellProfiler. Our workflow is divided into two distinct pipelines designed to combine automation of batch analysis with targeted user oversight, allowing for manual intervention when necessary to ensure maximum accuracy. Both pipelines are capable of recognizing microglial soma and tracing their processes. In the density workflow, it automatically calculates cell density and provides spatial distribution measurements, such as closest-neighbor distance and spacing index. For morphological profiling, it yields extensive structural data, including area, perimeter, convex area, form factor, and various shape descriptors. Furthermore, we demonstrate how researchers can optimize the pipeline settings to accommodate varied image datasets and experimental conditions. We hope this open-source framework can standardize microglial density, distribution, and morphological analysis and reduce systematic bias, providing researchers with a robust tool to better characterize their heterogeneity.

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Fast single molecule localization microscopy in 3D

Allgeyer, E.; Richens, J. H.; Lefevere-Laoide, J.; Paluch, E. K.; Sirinakis, G.; St Johnston, D.

2026-10-05 cell biology 10.64898/2026.09.29.755394 medRxiv
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Super-resolution methods, such as single molecule localisation microscopy (SMLM), can determine the distribution of specific proteins at the nanometre scale. However, three-dimensional (3D) SMLM is typically limited to thin sections and requires prohibitively long acquisition times to image complete cells. Here we introduce a 3D SMLM imaging modality, Intrinsic3D, that combines the speed and optical sectioning of oblique plane microscopy (OPM) with the nanometre resolution of SMLM to determine the position of single molecule emitters throughout complete volumes more than an order-of-magnitude faster over regular DNA-PAINT. By scanning the oblique light sheet across the volume and combining localization information from two or more adjacent planes, an emitter's x, y and z position is determined, eliminating the need for post-processing steps to stitch multiple image stacks together. We demonstrate resolution and speed by imaging nuclear pore complexes in U2OS cells and Drosophila egg chambers. As a proof-of-concept, we map the 3D distribution of the cell-adhesion protein DE-cadherin in the Drosophila follicular epithelium and show that spot adherens junctions are enriched near tricellular junctions and contain more E-cadherin than the apical adherens junctions, suggesting that spot junctions play a wider role in cell-cell adhesion than previously appreciated. Finally, we examine the organization of Gliotactin, a tricellular septate junction protein relative to E-cadherin using exchange-PAINT. These investigations demonstrate that Intrinsic3D delivers rapid 3D protein mapping in whole cells. Combining Intrinsic3D with existing multiplex and resolution enhancing methods (e.g. exchange-PAINT and RESI) will enable multicolour, 3D in situ spatial proteomics in tissue samples and bridge the gap between SMLM and systems-level cell biology.

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Single-shot light-field microscopy captures delivery-dependent dye and autofluorescence patterns in Caenorhabditis elegans

Markus, R.; Rea, E.; Berfi, N. A.; Taresco, V.; Hudson, C.; White, D. R. A.; Chauhan, V. M.

2026-09-10 biophysics 10.64898/2026.09.07.749827 medRxiv
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Three-dimensional imaging of live Caenorhabditis elegans commonly relies on sequential z-stack acquisition, which can be slow and susceptible to movement and photobleaching. Here, we used light-field microscopy to capture dye and delivery-dependent fluorescence patterns across intact adult worms in a single exposure per channel. With a 40x/1.20 NA water-immersion objective, each reconstructed dataset contained 121 axial slices spanning 109 {micro}m at 0.91 {micro}m spacing. In a representative adult, nematode signal extended from 40.88 to 85.4 {micro}m, corresponding to approximately 44.5 {micro}m of captured axial depth without sequential z scanning. Three fluorescence channels were acquired with a summed exposure time of 112 ms across a 685 x 1010 {micro}m field of view. FM1-43 labelled intestinal, cuticular and vesicular structures, FM4-64 highlighted ingested bacteria and intestinal compartments, and Nile Red revealed vesicular and broader whole-organism fluorescence. Intrinsic blue and green autofluorescence signals were also resolved. These observations demonstrate rapid single-shot acquisition of whole-organism three-dimensional fluorescence information and show how delivery route influences the spatial distribution of commonly used fluorescent probes in C. elegans.

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Concanavalin A as a pan-eukaryotic nuclear envelope marker for expansion microscopy

Hoogenberg, B.; Mikus, F.; Parihar, P. S.; Verbanac, I.; Beltrame, D.; Olivetta, M.; Richards, T. A.; Dey, G.; Dudin, O.

2026-09-10 cell biology 10.64898/2026.09.08.750128 medRxiv
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Across eukaryotes, the nuclear envelope exhibits distinct remodelling strategies during mitosis: complete breakdown (open mitosis), partial disruption (intermediate), or full retention (closed). However, both light and electron microscopy of the nuclear envelope, at sufficient resolution to determine integrity and mode of remodelling, have proven technically challenging. Here, Concanavalin A (ConA), a glycan-binding plant lectin, provides discernible nuclear envelope/endoplasmic reticulum (NE/ER) labelling in Ultrastructure Expansion Microscopy (U-ExM). Applied post-expansion, ConA circumvents antibody optimisation and labels the NE across mammalian cells and diverse microbial eukaryotes. By imaging four opisthokont and amoebozoan species with established mitotic strategies, C. perkinsii, D. discoideum, S. pombe, and S. arctica, we distinguished the full spectrum of NE remodelling. Applied to species with poorly characterised mitotic strategies, ConA revealed intermediate mitosis with polar fenestrae in the multinucleate stramenopile A. limacinum and a life cycle-coupled switch between open and closed mitosis in the amoebozoan P. polycephalum. These observations support the hypothesis that multinucleated life cycles favour closed or intermediate mitosis, protecting chromosomes from capture by neighbouring spindles during synchronous divisions. Together, these results establish ConA in combination with expansion microscopy as a broadly applicable tool for uncovering the diversity and evolution of NE remodelling across eukaryotes.

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Multiphoton tomographic fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy -TomoFLIM

Collard, L.; Jose, A. A.; Rahman, F.; Garcia-Aguirre, R.; Treacy, C.; Pallett, T.; Culley, S.; Ameer-Beg, S. M.; Poland, S. P.

2026-09-16 biophysics 10.64898/2026.09.11.750847 medRxiv
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Fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy provides quantitative, concentration-independent contrast for probing molecular interactions, biochemical environments and cellular physiology. However, the requirement to acquire sufficient time-resolved photon statistics makes FLIM inherently slow, limiting its application to dynamic biological processes. In live-cell applications, including calcium signalling and vesicular trafficking, acquisition times can exceed the timescale of the underlying biology, causing temporal averaging, motion artefacts and loss of transient information. Methods that increase FLIM acquisition speed while preserving quantitative lifetime accuracy are therefore required. We report on a high-speed, compressive, multiphoton fluorescence lifetime imaging technique (TomoFLIM). Two-photon fluorescence is excited using a line focus projected tomographically across the sample, while time-tagged fluorescence is acquired using time-correlated single-photon counting. Time-resolved fluorescence data are reconstructed using Lucy-Richardson deconvolution followed by a computationally efficient centre-of-mass method lifetime estimator. In addition, TomoFLIM Net, a physics-informed neural-network, directly reconstructs fluorescence intensity and lifetime from compressed time-resolved tomographic data. TomoFLIM was benchmarked against raster-scanned fluorescence lifetime measurements using calibrated fluorescence lifetime beads and biological specimens. We demonstrate imaging at compression ratios exceeding 90%, with Pearson correlation coefficients above 80% relative to reference images. A raster-scanned FLIM dataset acquired in 60 s was reproduced using TomoFLIM in 3.75 s, representing a 16-fold increase in frame rate and equivalent reduction in accumulated dark counts. TomoFLIM Net recovered distinct experimental bead lifetime populations, demonstrating a direct route from compressed measurements to quantitative lifetime maps. TomoFLIM therefore offers significant potential for rapid live-cell imaging of dynamic biological processes, including deep within turbid biological specimens.

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From Abandoned Scripts to FAIR Community Pipelines: Rescuing Orphan Bioinformatics Workflows with nf-core - Lessons from Light-Sheet Fluorescence Microscopy

Schwitalla, C.; Kuhn Cuellar, L.; Hoertenhuber, M.; Grote, N.; Woller, T.; Lamberti, I.; Pavie, B.; Kuestner, T.; Kyere, F. A.; Curtin, I.; Stein, J. L.; Nahnsen, S.

2026-08-03 bioinformatics 10.64898/2026.07.29.741447 medRxiv
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BackgroundResearch software is essential for modern data analysis but is often developed and maintained by a small number of researchers. When developers leave, software may become orphaned, limiting reuse and risking the loss of valuable domain knowledge and computational methods. While the FAIR Principles for Research Software (FAIR4RS) provide an essential foundation for improving the reuse of research software, compliance with these principles alone does not guarantee practical reusability. Here, we investigate whether orphaned scientific software can be systematically rescued and transformed into sustainable, reusable workflows using established software engineering practices and community standards. FindingsWe re-engineered the abandoned MATLAB-based NuMorph toolkit for large-scale light-sheet microscopy image analysis into nf-core/lsmquant, a Nextflow-based workflow developed according to nf-core community guidelines. The re-engineered workflow preserved the original scientific methods at comparable computational cost while improving the softwares FAIRness, portability, and reproducibility. Integration into the nf-core ecosystem provides a community-driven framework that supports software sustainability through distributed maintenance and shared development practices, while the modular workflow architecture simplified adaptation of nf-core/lsmquant to additional light-sheet microscopy datasets beyond the original application ConclusionOur work demonstrates that orphaned scientific software can be successfully rescued through systematic re-engineering guided by FAIR and software sustainability principles. By transforming a legacy codebase into a community-maintained workflow, we preserve valuable domain-specific methods while improving usability, maintainability, and reproducibility. This approach provides a practical strategy for recovering orphan research software and integrating it into modern, reusable research ecosystems.