Press Release
Leading researchers invited by ZEISS to workshop on correlative 3D
microscopy
150 life scientists from 23 countries met at the VIB in Ghent
Jena/Germany, Ghent/Belgium, 27 March 2014
In cooperation with the Flanders Institute of Biotechnology (VIB) and Core for Life, ZEISS invited
the international community of correlative microscopists for 3 days to a joint workshop at the
Bioimaging Core of the VIB Inflammatory Research Centre (IRC) in Ghent, Belgium. The
workshop followed the first meeting of the community at the ZEISS Microscopy Labs Munich in
2012. From 9-11 March 2014, 150 scientists from 23 countries took the opportunity to discuss the
current state of the art in correlative microscopy and 3D imaging techniques, and to exchange
expertise with ZEISS to further develop these crucial technologies.
“Until now, most biological research using electron microscopy was conducted with the aid of
ultrathin sections. 3View systems by ZEISS and Gatan allow us to acquire stacks and view
biology in a more natural way in its 3D extent. This way, it allows us to better see the
relationships of various cells, tissues, macromolecules and organelles and to understand the
interactions between them,” stated Tom Deerinck, Research Scientist at the NCMIR, UCSD.
“One of the core things that we want to do is to make light microscopy on living specimens and
correlate this info directly with high-resolution electron microscopy so that we can see down to
the macromolecule and protein levels. The distribution of SBF-SEM is accelerating now as
people realize the potential of this technology and what it can offer in their research. Eventually
this will take over much of conventional electron microscopy.”
Keynote lectures were given by Harald Hess (Group Leader at HHMI’s Janelia Farm Research
Campus) who presented correlative PALM and EM workflows and by Mark Ellisman (Director of
UCSD’s NCMIR) who demonstrated microscopy across scales and modalities. Further sessions
of talks involved a wide variety of 3D imaging techniques with correlative workflows including
light, electron and X-ray microscopy. Participants had the opportunity to go hands-on with ZEISS
AURIGA and MERLIN 3View systems at the VIB’s Bioimaging Core and to attend sample
preparation workshops with Kirk Czymmek, Director of the ZEISS Microscopy Labs New York. In
round table discussions the invited scientists, together with R&D, product management and 3D
imaging specialists from ZEISS, discussed topics that should take center stage in future
developments such as the handling of rapidly increasing amounts of imaging data.
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“ZEISS has been building microscopes since 1846, and they put a lot of craftsmanship into the
process. But the main reason why we partnered with ZEISS is not only the quality of the
products, but also the quality of the support that comes along with them,” as Chris Guerin,
Manager of the Bioimaging Core Facility at the VIB IRC states. “Feedback from the participants
was overwhelmingly positive and we are all looking forward to the next community meeting with
ZEISS in 2016.”
Press contact
Microscopy
Dr. Jochen Tham
Phone +49 3641 64-3949
Email: jochen.tham@zeiss.com
www.zeiss.com/press
ZEISS
ZEISS is an international leader in the fields of optics and
optoelectronics. The more than 24,000 employees of
ZEISS generated revenue of about 4.2 billion euros in
fiscal year 2012/13. Founded in 1846 in Jena, the company
is headquartered in Oberkochen, Germany. ZEISS has
been contributing to technological progress for more than
160 years. ZEISS develops and produces solutions for the
semiconductor, automotive and mechanical engineering
industries, biomedical research and medical technology, as
well as eyeglass lenses, camera and cine lenses,
binoculars and planetariums. ZEISS is present in over 40
countries around the globe with more than 40 production
facilities, around 50 sales and service locations and over
20 research and development sites. Carl Zeiss AG is fully
owned by the Carl Zeiss Stiftung (Carl Zeiss Foundation).
Microscopy
The Microscopy business group is the world's only one-stop
manufacturer of light, X-ray and electron microscopes. Its
extensive portfolio enables research and routine applications
in the life and materials sciences. The Microscopy business
group is headquartered in Oberkochen. Additional production
and development sites are located in Oberkochen, Göttingen
and Munich, as well as in Cambridge in the UK, in Peabody,
MA and Pleasanton, CA in the USA. The business group has
around 3,000 employees. It generated revenue of 629 million
euros in fiscal year 2012/13.
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