A recent Nature Biotechnology Research Briefing, titled “Affordable centimeter-scale 3D microscopy with sub-micrometer resolution,” highlights the significance of the HySIL (hybrid solid–liquid optics) framework developed by Dr. Raju Tomer and collaborators.

The article discusses how HySIL addresses longstanding challenges in volumetric imaging by combining inexpensive long-working-distance air objectives with hybrid solid–liquid optics. This innovative approach enables scalable, submicrometer-resolution imaging of centimeter-scale samples while maintaining compatibility across a wide range of tissue-clearing methods.

Traditionally, achieving high-resolution imaging of large cleared tissues has required expensive immersion objectives with limited working distances and compatibility with only specific immersion media. HySIL overcomes these limitations by using a refractive framework with index-matched components that improves light collection, corrects aberrations, and expands imaging flexibility across diverse sample preparation methods.

The Nature Biotechnology editorial team highlighted the broader impact of this approach in the accompanying Research Briefing:

“The authors take an interesting approach to tackle the limitations of light-sheet microscopy. They pair a solid optical element with a refractive index-matched liquid to form a continuous optical system, enabling a long-working-distance air objective to achieve high resolution. The implementation makes light-sheet microscopy more scalable and less costly.”

— Editorial Team, Nature Biotechnology

As highlighted in the Research Briefing, this approach has the potential to make advanced 3D imaging more affordable, scalable, and accessible to researchers worldwide, supporting applications ranging from organ-scale biology to 3D histopathology and expansion microscopy.

The innovations described in the HySIL work have helped shape the development of the award-winning SLICE™ benchtop light sheet microscope, bringing high-performance light-sheet imaging to a broader scientific community.

We are proud to see Dr. Raju Tomer and collaborators’ innovative work continue to receive recognition from the broader scientific community and highlighted by Nature Biotechnology.

Read the full Research Briefing here: Affordable centimeter-scale 3D microscopy with submicrometer resolution

Read the original HySIL publication here: Hybrid solid−liquid optics enable scalable, high-resolution light-sheet microscopy across diverse immersion media

The post Nature Biotechnology Research Briefing Highlights the Impact of Hybrid Solid–Liquid Optics appeared first on MBF Bioscience.

Williston, VT – MBF Bioscience is honored to announce that Dr. Raju Tomer’s laboratory at Columbia University has published groundbreaking research in Nature Biotechnology, with SLICE serving as a key validation platform. The paper, titled “Hybrid Solid-Liquid Optics Enable Scalable, High-Resolution, Multi-Immersion Light-Sheet Microscopy,” introduces and validates SCOPE—an optical technology developed by Dr. Tomer’s team that enables submicron-resolution imaging using affordable, long-working-distance objectives. 

The research, led by Dr. Tomer with biologist collaborators from Columbia University, NIH/NIMH, Lehigh University, NYU Langone Health, and other institutions, showcases diverse applications including whole-brain neuronal mapping, expansion microscopy, and 3D histopathology of human cancer tissues—all performed using the SLICE platform. 

Dr. Tomer invented pLSM (projected light-sheet microscopy), which MBF Bioscience commercialized as SLICE. This collaboration demonstrates how academic innovation can be translated into accessible commercial instruments that serve the broader research community. 

“We’re grateful to support Dr. Tomer’s vision of enabling advanced microscopy in labs of all sizes,” said Jack Glaser, CEO of MBF Bioscience and co-author on the paper. “His team’s SCOPE innovation, combined with SLICE’s accessibility, is making high-resolution volumetric imaging available to laboratories worldwide.” 

The SCOPE-SLICE system demonstrated: 

• Submicron lateral resolution (<0.75 μm) using standard air objectives 

• Compatibility with diverse tissue clearing and expansion methods 

• Whole-organ imaging at cellular and subcellular resolution 

• Cost-effective 3D histopathology for research and clinical applications 

Read the full publication: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41587-026-03172-7

Learn more about SLICE: https://www.mbfbioscience.com/products/slice

The post Columbia University Researchers Publish SCOPE Technology in Nature Biotechnology; SLICE Platform Supports Validation appeared first on MBF Bioscience.

Light-sheet fluorescence microscopy (LSFM) has become an important tool for imaging large cleared tissue specimens because of its ability to rapidly acquire volumetric datasets while minimizing photobleaching and photodamage. However, many traditional light-sheet systems require complex optical engineering, expensive hardware, and specialized infrastructure that can limit accessibility for many laboratories.

The article explores how SLICE integrates projected light-sheet microscopy (pLSM), HySIL/SCOPE optics, and long-working-distance imaging configurations into a compact and scalable platform, SLICE helps reduce the complexity and cost traditionally associated with advanced light-sheet microscopy systems while maintaining the same or better research-grade imaging performance.

From large-scale brain mapping and connectomics to developmental neuroanatomy and disease-model research, SLICE enables researchers to generate high-quality whole-brain datasets with speed, flexibility, and accessibility. The system is compatible with a wide range of tissue clearing methods, including iDISCO, CLARITY, CUBIC, SHIELD, and BINAREE workflows.

We are incredibly grateful to everyone involved in the development of this technology, especially Dr. Raju Tomer and his collaborators at Columbia University.

Read the full article: Light-Sheet Microscope Design Puts Whole-Brain Imaging in Reach for Scientists

The post Making High-Performance Whole-Brain Imaging More Accessible appeared first on MBF Bioscience.

Reference

Fay, M. G., Lang, P. J., Denu, D. S., et al. (2026). ClearScope: A Fully Integrated Light-Sheet Theta Microscope for Sub-Micron-Resolution Imaging Without Lateral Size Constraints. Journal of Imaging. https://doi.org/10.3390/jimaging12030118

Background

Three-dimensional imaging of intact organs and large tissue samples is critical for studying neural connectivity and structural changes in neurological disorders. While light sheet microscopy has become a leading tool for imaging cleared tissues, conventional systems face a fundamental limitation: the orthogonal arrangement of illumination and detection optics constrains the lateral size of specimens that can be imaged — making it impossible to capture intact large rodent brains or human tissue sections in their entirety.

About ClearScope

ClearScope is based on light sheet theta microscopy (LSTM), a technology developed by Professor Raju Tomer and colleagues at Columbia University. Unlike traditional light sheet systems, LSTM uses two oblique illumination paths paired with perpendicular detection optics — enabling imaging of specimens with effectively unconstrained lateral dimensions while maintaining subcellular resolution.

Part of our broader light sheet microscopy platform – built to push the boundaries of 3D imaging

ClearScope is a technological cousin to SLICE, MBF Bioscience’s newest light sheet microscope system. Together they reflect our commitment to expanding the boundaries of 3D biological imaging — from connectomics and systems neuroscience to vascular biology, cancer biology, and organoid research.

We’re grateful to our collaborators at Columbia University and NYU Langone Health for their partnership in this work.

The post Breaking the size barrier: ClearScope light sheet microscope paper published in Journal of Imaging appeared first on MBF Bioscience.

Now available through our online store:

• Fiber Optic Cannulae

• Patch Cords

• Ceramic Split Sleeves

• Additional consumables

This new platform was created with your research needs in mind—offering a simple, streamlined experience so you can get what you need quickly and reliably.

Key Benefits:

• Order anytime
• Easy, secure checkout
• Fast, dependable delivery
• Bulk ordering options available

Can’t find what you’re looking for? Our team is here to help. Email us at info@mbfbioscience.com and we’ll assist you in locating the right tools for your setup.

At MBF Bioscience, we remain committed to supporting your research with high-quality products and responsive service.

🛒 Explore the store today and simplify your fiber photometry workflow.

The post Introducing the MBF Bioscience Web Store for our Neurophotometrics Fiber Photometry Consumables appeared first on MBF Bioscience.

MBF Bioscience Introduces SLICE™: We Reimagined Light Sheet Microscopes From the Ground Up

Breakthrough system combines high performance with unprecedented affordability and compact design, making cutting-edge light sheet microscopy accessible to labs of all sizes

WILLISTON, VT – June 9, 2025 – MBF Bioscience, a world leader in quantitative microscopy solutions, today announced the commercial launch of SLICE™, a revolutionary light sheet microscope that represents a paradigm shift in advanced imaging technology. Invented by leading researchers at Columbia University, this patent-pending innovation delivers advanced 3D imaging capabilities to research labs of all sizes while offering performance that surpasses systems costing ten times more.

Breaking Down Barriers to Advanced Imaging

SLICE addresses one of the most significant challenges in modern biological research: the limited accessibility of high-performance light sheet microscopy due to high costs and complex infrastructure requirements. This innovative system offers high sub-micron resolution imaging of biological samples, making it ideal for both individual laboratories and core facilities, effectively democratizing access to what was previously available only to well-funded institutions.

“For over three decades, MBF Bioscience has been committed to putting powerful research tools in the hands of scientists everywhere,” said Jack Glaser, President and Co-founder of MBF Bioscience. “To advance science, we had to change the math. SLICE represents the embodiment of that mission—delivering the performance researchers need at a price point that makes advanced light sheet microscopy accessible to labs that previously couldn’t afford this technology. We’re not just selling a microscope, we’re opening doors to discoveries that might never have happened otherwise.”

Dr. Raju Tomer, Associate Professor of Biological Sciences at Columbia University and inventor of the technology underlying SLICE, added: “When we developed this approach, our goal was to overcome the fundamental limitations that have kept light sheet microscopy out of reach for so many researchers. SLICE realizes that vision—it’s a system that doesn’t compromise on scientific capability while dramatically reducing the barriers to entry. I’m excited to see how the broader research community will use this technology to push the boundaries of what’s possible in biological imaging.”

Technical Innovation Meets Practical Design

SLICE comes equipped with powerful software for tera-voxel visualization, seamless image stitching, and sophisticated post-processing. The system’s compact, benchtop-ready design enables placement in diverse research environments, including higher biosafety level facilities, small lab spaces, and even inside incubators where experiments are conducted.

Key features of SLICE include:

• Exceptional Performance-to-Cost Ratio: Performance surpassing systems costing ten times as much
• Multi-wavelength Compatibility: 3 illumination wavelengths for popular labels such as: GFP, Thy1-GFP, eYFP, Alexa 514, 633, 647, mCherry, tdTomato
• Versatile Clearing Compatibility: Compatible with iDISCO, CLARITY, SHANEL, CUBIC, BINAREE and virtually all other optical clearing techniques
• Comprehensive Software: BrightSLICE software for acquisition, visualization, and post-processing
• Seamless Integration: Seamlessly integrates with MBF Bioscience’s suite of analytical tools, including Neurolucida 360, NeuroInfo and NeuroDeblur

Expanding Research Capabilities

The SLICE system enables researchers to image labeled cells and neuronal processes throughout cleared tissue with exceptional clarity and speed. A wide range of proteins and dyes can be used with SLICE, including c-Fos, tdTomato, mCherry, podocalyxin, CD31, Acta2, mScarlet, and Thy1-eYFP, making it suitable for diverse research applications across neuroscience, developmental biology, cancer research, and beyond.

Advanced image stitching produces 3D image volumes suitable for MBF Bioscience’s AI-based quantitative analysis software to produce accurate data for analyzing morphometry, cell populations, sub-cellular processes, vasculature and fluorescence properties, enabling researchers to conduct sophisticated analyses previously limited to specialized facilities.

About MBF Bioscience

MBF Bioscience is a biotech company that develops microscopy software and hardware for bioscience research and education. MBF Bioscience’s primary location is Williston, Vermont, United States and has offices that market, sell, and support its line of hardware and software products in Ashburn, Virginia; San Diego, California; Europe, and Asia. The company was founded in 1988 as MicroBrightField, Inc. by the father and son team of Dr. Edmund Glaser and Jack Glaser, and has been instrumental in advancing quantitative microscopy for over three decades.

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, underscoring the company’s impact on global scientific research.

Availability and Pricing

SLICE is now available for order, with 30-day lead time for delivery. The complete system, including the light sheet microscope, BrightSLICE software, and computer workstation, is priced under $75,000 – representing exceptional value for advanced 3D imaging capabilities. For demonstrations, technical specifications, or ordering information, visit www.mbfbioscience.com/products/slice or contact MBF Bioscience directly.

Media Contact: Pasang Sherpa, Marketing Manager

Phone: +1 (802) 288-9290

Email: pasang@mbfbioscience.com

The post MBF Bioscience Introduces SLICE™: We Reimagined Light Sheet Microscopes From the Ground Up appeared first on MBF Bioscience.

MBF Bioscience and Phaseform are delighted to announce a breakthrough collaboration that integrates Phaseform’s advanced Adaptive Optics (AO) solutions into MBF Bioscience’s renowned ScanImage software for multiphoton and laser scanning microscopes. This joint development opens the door for researchers across neuroscience, developmental biology, cancer research, and other fields to achieve unmatched image clarity and depth, all while preserving their existing microscopy workflows.

The post Adaptive Optics for MBF Bioscience’s ScanImage using Phaseform’s Deformable Phase Plate Technology appeared first on MBF Bioscience.

In just a few days, at the Society for Neuroscience meeting in Chicago, we will be unveiling SLICE – our new affordable light sheet microscope that truly redefines what’s possible in imaging technology. SLICE is the result of our collaboration with leading microscopy researchers at Columbia University, embodying our mission to support “Big Science in labs of all sizes”.

What makes SLICE extraordinary and such a transformative technology? Let me share some key points:

• Performance on par with systems costing ten times as much
• Resolution of ~1 μm laterally and ~5 μm axially, resolves cells and neuronal processes throughout the brain
• Three-wavelength imaging capability
• Compatible with iDISCO, CLARITY, SHANEL, BINAREE and other optical clearing techniques

Most importantly, we’re offering SLICE at an introductory price under $50,000 for a limited time, including lasers and a computer workstation. This is not just a price point; it’s a statement of our commitment to democratizing access to advanced research tools.

I personally invite you to visit us at Booth 781 during SfN to learn about our exclusive conference offers designed to make this innovative technology even more accessible. See SLICE in action, and let’s discuss how it can propel your research forward. If you can’t make it to SfN, please visit our website SLICE for detailed information.

In my 30 years in this field, I’ve seen many advances, but SLICE stands out as a true game-changer. It has the potential to accelerate research across multiple disciplines, and I couldn’t be more excited to share it with you.

We pride ourselves in helping scientists make new discoveries, which is why we are determined to do things that allow more researchers to make more discoveries.

I look forward to your feedback and to seeing the groundbreaking research that SLICE will enable in your labs.

Sincerely,

Jack Glaser

President, MBF Bioscience

The post Introducing SLICE™: A new era in low-cost, high-performance light-sheet microscopy appeared first on MBF Bioscience.

Light Beads Microscopy is a new method of two-photon microscopy optimized for volume imaging. It enables investigators to scan an entire volume in the rate that other conventional mesoscopes records just a single plane. This new technique makes use of columns of “Light Beads”, individual beams which are distinguishable in time and focus to different depths in the sample. Their novel approach uses 30 multiplexed beams, roughly an order of magnitude higher than any other previous temporal multiplexing approach demonstrated in vivo.  This quantum leap in imaging efficiency makes Light Beads Microscopy well suited for studying multi-regional encoding of sensory information and the dynamic interaction of brain networks at the single-neuron level.

Using Light Beads Microscopy and genetically encoded calcium indicators, Demas and colleagues imaged calcium transients in hundreds of thousands of cells in vivo, in portions of somatosensory-, visual-, posterior parietal-, and retro splenial–cortex, contained in a 3 mm X 5 mm area and a depth of 0.5 mm. The sampling rate of 5 Hz was per volume, not per plane. Stimuli used were whiskers perturbation and visual presentation of high-contrast drifting grates. Three sub-populations of neurons were identified that respond to whiskers stimuli, visual stimuli, or are spontaneously active. They also found evidence of mixed-selectivity in four anatomically separate clusters of cells, and of neurons that undergo distinct types of response modulation to one stimulus by the other located in separate anatomical locations.

To make the multiplexing happen, the laser light pulse is sent through two series of optical cavities that contain convex mirrors. The first cavity lets a small fraction of the energy of the laser pulse escape to the second cavity through a partially reflecting mirror (PRM) but sends the bulk of the laser energy back into the first cavity through a delay line loop created by the convex mirrors until it encounters the PRM again. The second cavity, which functions mainly as a delay line, splits the incoming pulse into two pulses. The first pulse is directed to the sample, while the second is delayed by the cavity before also being sent to the microscope. By travelling over and over in the first cavity and dividing pulses in the second one as described, a 90fs laser pulse is split into thirty ‘sub- pulses’ that occur only about 7ns apart from each other, with all 30 sub-pulses delivered to the sample in ~200ns.  MBF Bioscience engineers created the software for the Light Beads Microscope using ScanImage. This software was used to control the hardware and to receive and assemble the signals multiplexed in time and space from the photomultiplier tube.

Here at MBF Bioscience, thanks to a Small Business Innovation Research Grant from the NIMH, we are now working to commercialize this technology. We plan to optimize the hardware that creates the lights beads to reduce the overall microscope-system footprint and make it more versatile and easily adaptable to other laser-scanning microscopes and/or excitation wavelengths.

Light Beads Microscopy represents a major breakthrough in our ability to study the activity of large cell populations in the brain, and has the potential to revolutionize our understanding of how the brain encodes information.

Learn more about ScanImage and how it can help your research at: https://www.mbfbioscience.com/products/scanimage.

Reference:

Demas, J., Manley, J., Tejera, F. et al. High-speed, cortex-wide volumetric recording of neuroactivity at cellular resolution using light beads microscopy. Nat Methods 18, 1103–1111 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41592-021-01239-8

The post Light Beads Microscopy: A Breakthrough in Volumetric in vivo Brain Imaging appeared first on MBF Bioscience.

In a study published in 2015, Bansel et al. found that long-lived C. elegans mutants exhibited a higher proportion of life in an unhealthy state compared to non-mutants. In their 2017 publication, Rollins et al. sought to better understand the relationship between lifespan and quality of life in C. elegans mutants. The authors used two models to assess health span in short-lived mutants: one focused on age-dependent factors such as locomotion, maximum bending amplitude, and thermo-tolerance; the other examined the effects of extrinsic forces over time, including accumulation of autofluorescence and pharyngeal pumping.

To track the worms and obtain data on size and behavior including speed of locomotion and bending angle, the researchers utilized WormLab® software. They found that short-lived mutants spent less time in a healthy state compared to non-mutants, when locomotion markers were used for the evaluation.   Unexpectedly, however, short-lived mutants exhibited thermo-tolerance for a longer percentage of life span than wild-type worms, suggesting that these mutants may have an advantage in this particular measure of health span.

The authors propose a new metric that combines survival rate and health performance to more accurately score health, taking into account both age-dependent and time-dependent factors. This approach could help to better understand the relationship between lifespan and quality of life in model organisms and could have implications for future research on aging and longevity.

In conclusion, the study of short-lived C. elegans mutants provides valuable insights into the relationship between life span and quality of life. The use of two models to assess health and the proposal of a new metric to score health highlight the complexity of this relationship and the need for further research to fully understand it. As we continue to strive for longer, healthier lives, the use of model organisms like C. elegans will undoubtedly remain essential to this research as we aim to promote healthy aging and unlock the secrets of aging.

Learn more about the WormLab software

Reference:

Rollins, J. A., Howard, A. C., Dobbins, S. K., Washburn, E. H., & Rogers, A. N. (2017). Assessing health span in Caenorhabditis elegans: Lessons from short-lived mutants. The Journals of Gerontology: Series A, 72(4), 473–480. https://doi.org/10.1093/gerona/glw248

The post Exploring the Relationship between Lifespan and Quality of Life in C. Elegans Mutants appeared first on MBF Bioscience.