Columbia University Researchers Publish SCOPE Technology in Nature Biotechnology; SLICE Platform Supports Validation
Academic-Industry Collaboration Advances Accessible, High-Resolution 3D Imaging
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
