Glaser founded MBF with his father, Edmund Glaser, to give neuroscientists better tools to see and measure the brain at the microscopic level. “That was a novel goal at the time, when much published research was descriptive rather than quantitative,” said Glaser. “Today, the quantitative approach to neuroscience is the standard, and I’m happy to have played a small part in that change.” 

“Serving the research community has been the work of my career,” Glaser said. “It has been a privilege to work with researchers all over the world who have trusted our software and systems in their work, and alongside such a terrific and dedicated team at MBF.” 

Dr. Pessino has served as President since February and has worked closely with Glaser on the transition. She brings a strong academic background in microscopy and combines deep scientific understanding with business leadership. 

“Veronica is the right person to lead MBF’s next chapter,” said Glaser. “She cares about the researchers who use our products, and I have full confidence in her leadership.” 

MBF Bioscience looks forward to continuing its mission of providing innovative imaging, analysis, and data-management solutions that help researchers advance scientific discovery. 

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Researchers and educators Katharina Sternecker, Christoph Schmitz, and Markus Berndt at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (LMU Munich) evaluated 415 medical students who completed the full study, using Histologi@, LMU Munich’s virtual 3D slide box. The system uses MBF Bioscience Biolucida server software to deliver high-resolution, fully scanned histological glass slides through the Biolucida Viewer. 

The study used a cross-over design across two course days focused on kidney and liver anatomy, so every student experienced both formats. Approximately half of the students attended the first session in person and the second online, while the other half participated in the reverse order. Online students joined the same live instruction through Zoom and used Histologi@ on their own devices, while in-person students used the system at workstations in the microscopy laboratory. 

The researchers found no significant difference in learning outcomes between online and face-to-face participation. This suggests that, when students receive the same instruction and have access to the same virtual microscopy resources, synchronous online learning can be as effective as classroom-based instruction for microscopic anatomy. 

Histologi@ includes 197 3D (focusable) virtual slides digitized  from histological glass slides. Students can magnify specimens and move through focus planes, supporting an interactive learning experience that reflects key aspects of traditional microscopy, while making materials available from any location. 

The study also examined whether characteristics such as students’ comfort with technology or self-organization affected performance. These factors had limited predictive value overall, although self-organization showed a small, consistent relationship with learning outcomes in both formats. 

These findings suggest that digital microscopy can widen access to anatomy education without lowering short-term learning outcomes. With Biolucida Medical Education, institutions can securely provide students with browser-based access to large, high-resolution microscopy datasets, whether they are learning in the lab, classroom, or at home. 

Histologi@ is freely available for your school 

Medical schools interested in using Histologi@ for histology teaching may request a free copy of the complete 3D virtual slide package by contacting the paper’s corresponding author, Dr. Katharina Sternecker. The package includes approximately 4 TB of data, so institutions would need to arrange data transfer and use the Biolucida server and client software required to view the proprietary file format. Several medical schools in Europe already use these slides in their teaching. 

Histologi@ is also supported by a comprehensive, 600+ page script that helps students learn histology and microscopic anatomy using the virtual slides. The German version is available free of charge through LMU Munich’s repository, and a free English version will be available soon. 

Read the study 

Sternecker K, Schmitz C, Berndt M. Students’ Learning Outcomes in a Virtual Microscopic Online and Face-to-Face Anatomy Course: Cross-Over Comparative Study. JMIR Med Educ 2026;12:e82012. URL: https://mededu.jmir.org/2026/1/e82012. DOI: 10.2196/82012 

The paper was published in JMIR Medical Education, which ranks #1 of 89 journals in Education and has an Impact Factor of 13.9. Learn more about the journal’s indexing and impact factor. 

The post New Study Shows Biolucida Supports Effective Online Anatomy Learning for Medical Students  appeared first on MBF Bioscience.

Why we’re doing this

A two-photon experiment often involves several components: a microscope, behavioral hardware for stimulus and reward delivery, video systems, and other devices. Running a successful experiment requires careful coordination across all of them, from aligning imaging data with behavioral trials to synchronizing stimulus delivery and animal behavior.

ScanImage already helps solve much of this integration challenge on the acquisition side by controlling laser scanners, beam modulators, focusing devices, stages, and other microscope hardware from a wide range of vendors.

The remaining challenge is often connecting image acquisition with the rest of the experimental setup. Scientists frequently build these integrations themselves using custom scripts and workflows tailored to a particular experiment or lab.

MHS provides a standardized way to address that challenge. Each MHS-compatible device publishes its capabilities through a common interface, allowing AI agents and other software clients to interact with supported hardware in a consistent way.

Adding native support for MHS in ScanImage as part of the research preview is a step toward making complex experiments easier to coordinate and automate.

What it means in practice

Through ScanImage’s MHS interface, we’re testing how compatible AI agents and other software can interact with microscope acquisition capabilities controlled through vDAQ. 

• Set up and run an imaging session remotely. Configure scan geometry, timing, triggering, channels, and recording through the standard interface. 

• Read images as they are acquired. Access image data as it arrives, along with metadata identifying the region, channel, and acquisition timing. 

• Adjust a run in progress. Change a defined set of parameters mid-session without interrupting the scan. 

• Monitor the instrument. Track acquisition state, progress, and system health throughout the session, helping software distinguish a slow run from a failing one. 

Because MHS provides a standardized interface, different MHS clients can interact with the capabilities exposed by ScanImage through the same interface. 

Safety 

Devices declare bounds, interlocks, and emergency stops in the standard itself. AI agents inherit and operate within them by default. 

For ScanImage and vDAQ, that means: 

• A configuration is validated in full before an acquisition is armed. 

• The set of parameters that can change during a run is deliberately short. 

• An emergency stop reaches the hardware immediately, rather than waiting behind a queue of pending work. 

• The MHS interface will not operate unless ScanImage has been properly commissioned. 

We’re participating in the MHS research preview and exploring how AI agents can safely operate ScanImage. The ScanImage MHS driver is being tested as part of the research preview and is not yet a shipped feature or available to customers or partners. 

To learn more about MBF Bioscience’s work with MHS, contact support@mbfbioscience.com. 

For more information about the Model Hardware Standard and the research preview, read Anthropic’s Previewing the Model Hardware Standard announcement. 

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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

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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

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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.

As CEO, Glaser will focus on long-term strategy and major partnerships. As President, Dr. Pessino will oversee day-to-day operations and execution of the company’s strategic plans.

“This isn’t me stepping back, it’s us stepping up,” said Glaser. “These are challenging times in the science world, and this change ensures I can focus on positioning us for the long haul while Veronica makes sure we’re running as efficiently and effectively as possible every single day.”

Since joining as COO last summer, Dr. Pessino has driven measurable improvements across the organization, streamlining operations and bringing sharper focus to product development and go-to-market strategy. “She quickly grasped not just the nuts and bolts of our business, but its soul, what makes MBF special, what we bring to the world, what our customers need, and what our team values,” Glaser said.

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WILLISTON, VT – August 18, 2025 – MBF Bioscience today proudly announces that its revolutionary light sheet microscope, SLICE™, has been awarded a Microscopy Today Innovation Award. This prestigious recognition celebrates SLICE as a game-changing solution that is transforming the light sheet microscopy landscape by delivering superior performance at an exceptionally accessible price point, democratizing advanced 3D imaging and empowering laboratories of all sizes to pursue breakthrough research.

The Microscopy Today Innovation Award recognizes instruments and accessories that represent significant advancements in the field of microscopy. SLICE was selected for its innovative engineering, which addresses the critical barriers of cost and complexity that have long limited access to high-end light sheet technology.

“We are truly honored to receive the Microscopy Today Innovation Award, as it is a powerful validation of our mission to democratize advanced science,” said Jack Glaser, President of MBF Bioscience. “SLICE was born from the idea that breakthrough research shouldn’t be constrained by budget or complexity. This award is a testament to our team’s commitment to creating a new standard that delivers superior image quality and unmatched value to every lab.”

Unlike legacy systems that typically cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, SLICE is a complete turnkey solution available for under $75,000. Its innovative optical design delivers demonstrably higher image quality, with clearer images and increased signal-to-noise than many more expensive systems. The SLICE offering also includes the powerful BrightSLICE software, providing a seamless acquisition-to-analysis workflow without the need for costly external licenses.

Dr. Raju Tomer, Associate Professor at Columbia University and the inventor of the foundational technology behind SLICE, added, ” We are deeply honored by this recognition from the global microscopy community for our efforts to make high-performance light-sheet microscopy accessible to all. We have seen firsthand how this technology can profoundly transform our understanding of biological systems, yet it has remained largely inaccessible to most researchers and clinicians worldwide. We hope this breakthrough will catalyze new discoveries and empower data-driven innovations in human health. We are very grateful to our collaborators at MBF Bioscience for helping turn this vision into reality.”

The SLICE system’s transparent and all-inclusive annual support model further sets it apart, with a predictable annual fee that covers both hardware maintenance and comprehensive software support. This approach, combined with its streamlined design, makes SLICE an ideal solution for academic labs, microscopy core facilities, and biopharmaceutical R&D teams seeking to accelerate their research pipelines.

About MBF Bioscience

MBF Bioscience is a pioneering developer of advanced microscopy and imaging solutions, specializing in multi-photon microscopy, light sheet microscopy, unbiased stereology, neuron tracing, fiber photometry, and AI-powered image analysis systems for neuroscience and life sciences researchers. With over 35 years of innovation, MBF Bioscience transforms scientific discovery by creating cutting-edge tools that deliver unparalleled accuracy, reproducibility, and research acceleration to help scientists worldwide to push the boundaries of what’s possible.

Media Contact: Pasang Sherpa, Marketing Manager

Phone: +1 (802) 288-9290

Email: pasang@mbfbioscience.com

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