Dr. Edward Boyden and his team at MIT are doing just that. The process, known as expansion microscopy (ExM), physically enlarges brain tissue so that even extremely small molecular structures are viewable on a conventional light microscope.

In his 2016 TED Talk, Dr. Boyden says: “Can we make [the brain] bigger? Big enough that you can peer inside and see all the tiny building blocks, the biomolecules, how they’re organized in three dimensions, the structure…. if we could get that, maybe we could have a better understanding of how the brain is organized to yield thoughts and emotions and actions and sensations. Maybe we could pinpoint the exact changes in the brain that result in diseases like Alzheimer’s, epilepsy, and Parkinson’s.”

Thanks to a grant from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), MBF Bioscience, is teaming together with Dr. Boyden’s group to develop high performance, advanced software to analyze tissue processed by expansion microscopy. The new software will be able to perform comprehensive spatial distribution analysis of molecular structures, such as populations of messenger RNAs and proteins.

“The goal is to be able to pinpoint the exact molecular changes that occur in brain disorders in order to identify new therapeutic targets,” says MBF Bioscience President Jack Glaser.

The groundbreaking technological advantage of ExM is the ability to isotropically expand tissue and increase the size of biological structures. This allows nanoscale-resolution, light-microscopic imaging of objects that are too small to be observed without expansion due to the diffraction limit of light.

Among other benefits, ExM allows small structures to be imaged with a wider range of microscopy techniques. Processing tissue for ExM also allows repeated hybridization (for investigations of mRNAs) and/or repeated antibody staining (for investigations of proteins) of the same tissue, combined with repeated microscopic imaging rounds.

An important innovation in our new system is to empower biologists by giving them the ability to perform all of these tasks without the need to have a computer scientist on staff to run software scripts developed for each step of this kind of complex analysis.

ExM and our new software will enable substantial advancements in research studies focusing on alterations in the spatial transcriptome and proteome of neurons associated with neurodevelopmental, neuropsychiatric, neurodegenerative, and neurological disorders as well as in aging research and drug development.

The post MBF Bioscience Receives Grant from the NIMH to Develop Next-Generation Software for Analyzing Expansion Microscopy-Processed Tissue appeared first on MBF Bioscience.

The University of Vermont, the state’s largest employer, led the list of recipients, but right behind UVM is another, lesser known powerhouse in the biomedical research community—MBF Bioscience.

An award-winning Vermont business, MBF Bioscience engineers microscope-based quantitative imaging and visualization solutions to help researchers on the cutting edge of creating a better future for humanity—a future with less disease, enhanced creativity, and heightened physical, mental, and emotional health.

MBF Bioscience helps these scientific leaders illuminate their discoveries, analyze their information, empower their research, and enhance the certainty and speed with which they can publish and share their insights.

“The NIH grants we receive are SBIR grants, which are dedicated to commercializing technology to support biomedical research. And what’s even more important is that we act as an ally to support the scientific community and build technology that advances bioscience in general. So, the benefits from the grants don’t just stop with us — as we commercialize products, they continue to add and fuel advancements in research labs around the world at scale far into the future.” says MBF Bioscience President Jack Glaser.

“It has been a challenging year for our customers,” says Jack Glaser,” these NIH grants help make sure that important research continues moving forward, even in difficult economic times.

Over the past year, while the NIH has spearheaded the effort to combat COVID-19, the agency has continued to support research in labs across the country. This scientific support is essential to making progress in America’s health and wellbeing beyond the pandemic.

Nationwide, support from NIH grants in 2020 led to 536,338 jobs and generated $91.35 billion in economic activity, demonstrating that the value of NIH-funded research extends far beyond improving our health. The NIH supports discoveries and trains a workforce that helps the United States remain the global leader in the life sciences industry.

For that, we’re grateful.

About MBF Bioscience

Headquartered in Williston, VT, MBF Bioscience is a leading provider of microscope-based image analysis tools to researchers around the world. Founded in 1988, MBF has received numerous awards for innovation, customer service, and employee satisfaction, including the US Small Business Administration’s Tibbetts Award for excellence in high technology, the Vermont Small Business Person of the Year award, and the Best Places to Work in Vermont award. MBF’s tools have been cited in over 16,000 peer-reviewed journal publications.

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Contact:

Pasang Sherpa
Marketing Manager
1-802-288-9290
pasang@mbfbioscience.com

The post 2020 NIH Grants support jobs and economic vitality in Vermont — UVM and MBF Bioscience lead the way appeared first on MBF Bioscience.

We continue our history of innovation and invention as the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office awards us two patents. The first is for WormLab – our unique worm tracking software that gives researchers an enormous amount of behavioral data about a single worm or multiple worms, even as they go through omega bends, reversals, and entanglements. The second is for our radial shock wave technology that improves antibody penetration and reduces the time for antibody incubation and fixation periods.

WormLab is commercially available, while our shock wave technology is in development.

+ Learn more about WormLab

+ Read the WormLab patent

+ Read the shock wave patent

The post MBF Bioscience Awarded Two Patents in 2016 appeared first on MBF Bioscience.

Dr. Sudhof uncovered how neurotransmitters are released into a synaptic cleft precisely when they need to be. His research explained the molecular machinery that responds to an influx of calcium and signals the release of neurotransmitters.

At Stanford, he and his lab are interested in how neurons communicate and are working towards a complete understanding of how a synapse releases neurotransmitters. This knowledge would provide insight into neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinsons.

Dr. Südhof used Neurolucida in a recent paper published in Neuron that explored two mutations of Neuroligin-3, a protein involved in building and maintaining synapses. The protein mutations are exhibited in some individuals with autism. He and his colleagues discovered that Neuroligin-3 mutations associated with autism impair endocannabinoid signaling. Endocannabinoids are molecules that are critical regulators of normal neuronal activity and are involved in learning, pain, and other important processes. This finding opens up a new area of research, as endocannabinoid signaling was not considered to be a factor in autism.

The full paper can be found here: Autism-Associated Neuroligin-3 Mutations Commonly Disrupt Tonic Endocannabinoid Signaling Csaba Földy, Robert C. Malenka, Thomas C. Südhof Neuron – 8 May 2013 (Vol. 78, Issue 3, pp. 498-509)

Photo courtesy: Sudhof Lab

The post MBF customer Dr. Thomas Südhof wins Nobel Prize appeared first on MBF Bioscience.

The Tibbetts Award is given to companies who participate in the Small Business Innovation Research program which is run by the U.S. Small Business Administration. The SBIR program is a highly competitive program that encourages small businesses to engage in Federal Research/Research and Development (R/R&D) that has the potential for commercialization.

Jack Glaser receives the Tibbetts Award on behalf of MBF Bioscience. From left to right: Roland Tibbetts (sitting), Karen Mills, SBA Administrator, Jack Glaser, Pravina Raghavan, Director, Innovation and Technology at SBA

Roland Tibbetts, who was instrumental in developing the SBIR program, presented the award to Jack Glaser, President of MBF Bioscience. MBF Bioscience has been an active participant in the SBIR program for many years. It has received numerous SBIR awards that have helped develop many products that bioscience researchers rely on, including Neurolucida, Stereo Investigator, Biolucida, AutoSpine, AutoSynapse, and Virtual Tissue 3D.

From left to right: Margaret Grabb, Ph.D, NIMH SBIR/STTR Coordinator, Sophie Glaser, Roland Tibbetts, Jack Glaser, Cait Glaser

MBF was featured in local Vermont media outlets to talk about winning the Tibbetts Award. Jack Glaser was interviewed on a local VT television news station. You can view the segment on the WCAX website. MBF was also highlighted in the Burlington Free Press.

The post MBF Bioscience Wins Prestigious Tibbetts Award in Recognition of Outstanding Technological Innovation appeared first on MBF Bioscience.

Jack Glaser, president and founder of MBF Bioscience was named the 2007 Vermont Small Business Person of the Year by the US Small Business Administration. Glaser founded MicroBrightField (renamed MBF Bioscience in 2006) with his father, Dr. Edmund M. Glaser in 1987. Their goal was to develop powerful yet affordable neuroanatomical imaging software for the global research community.

Today, MBF software is used by over 1000 researchers around the world. Neurolucida has become the gold standard in neuroanatomical software. Stereo Investigator has become the most widely used software for stereology. As president of MBF Bioscience, Glaser has grown the company from a desk in his bedroom to a successful Vermont-based multinational company. The business occupies a headquarters office in Williston, VT with satellite sales offices in Europe and Asia. MBF has a dedicated and talented staff, including experts in biological research and software development.

We sat down with Jack Glaser to chat about the Small Business Person of the Year award, which is given to a business person based on criteria including innovation, response to business adversity, and commitment
to the community by the nominee and the employees. Since starting out in a room in his house, with Jack as the sole employee, MBF Bioscience has grown to employ 27 professionals in Williston, Vermont, and in Europe, Malaysia, and Japan. MBF Bioscience develops, markets, and supports Neurolucida, Stereo Investigator, and Neuroinfo.

What do you think made you and MBF successful?

From the beginning, we focussed on delivering a solution that our customers wanted and needed. We also
continue to provide great customer service, which is very important in our
market. Having excellent employees has also been very important for our success. Many of our employees have worked at MBF for a long time—longer than most high-tech companies. Also, Vermont offers a great quality of life for anyone. It attracts the type of people who care a bit more for the things in life that go along with our core values of treating people with respect as individuals and not as objects. These qualities
are evident in the people at MBF.

Can you say something about receiving the award?

It is very gratifying to be recognized for all of MBF’s hard work and effort over the past twenty years. Our company is dedicated to helping researchers in their pursuit of understanding how the brain functions. We
are most proud that the results of our customer’s research are of benefit to everyone—leading to more fulfilling and healthy lives. It’s rewarding to be recognized for doing the right things for our employees and customers.

Most new businesses don’t succeed past the first year or so. They seem to struggle without a real aim. What advice would you give to someone just starting out?

Simply, find a solution that you want to provide to customers. Focus on it and refine it, and then go out and
market it. Do what it takes to support your customers. Making a useful product is only part of the equation. You also need to provide good technical support and training. Focus on the customer and their needs, and you have a better chance of success.

The SBA award is a prestigious honor. What does it mean to you and to MBF?

It’s great recognition to receive
such a prestigious award from a well respected
 government agency for everyone 
at MBF’s hard work over these 
last 20 years. For me, it’s recognition
 that instead of doing the typical “Same 
old business thing,” I’m doing the right
 thing—providing the employees with 
the best I can, such as a great package
 of benefits and a collaborative, team 
environment. For our customers, it 
should provide confidence that MBF is 
a company that has been awarded for 
innovation and integrity.

Give us a glimpse of the
 future for MBF.

Well, I think you can expect to 
see expanded product offerings. We
 will try and leverage the proficiencies
 we have into other areas of biologic 
research. Many of our newest ideas 
come from talking with our customers 
about problems they’re trying to solve
 and what they’re investigating. We 
look forward to continued growth in
 Vermont and around the world.

Read Vermontbiz.com‘s article on Jack’s Vermont Small Business Person of the Year award.

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