MBL Awarded $3.2 Million to Expand Cutting-Edge Microscopy Infrastructure

WOODS HOLE, Mass., July 10, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) has received a $3.2 million Research Infrastructure award from the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center (MLSC) to enhance its Central Microscopy Facility. This award will bring two new state-of-the-art microscopes to support research, education, and industry collaboration across the Commonwealth and beyond.

"Support from the state is transformative for our research and education community, and we are very grateful to the MLSC," said Anne Sylvester, MBL's director of research. "This investment ensures that MBL scientists, visiting researchers and industry collaborators will have access to the newest commercial technologies in microscopy."

Two advanced microscopes supported by the award will arrive at the MBL in the fall of 2026: a ZEISS LSM 990 point-scanning confocal microscope with Airyscan 2, Lightfield 4D and two-photon laser module, and a Nikon SoRa spinning-disk confocal microscope with laser dissection capabilities.

According to Louis Kerr, director of the MBL's Central Microscopy Facility, "the ZEISS LSM 990 will provide exceptionally fast and precise imaging, operating at speeds of up to 80 frames per second. The technology will allow researchers to visualize rapid biological processes, including the movement of a beating heart in real time."

The Nikon SoRa offers dual-channel simultaneous imaging and also permits rapid image acquisition, allowing for 4D imaging. The award also supports the acquisition of a Bruker High-Performance Imaging and Visualization Environment, significantly expanding the facility's computational power for image analysis and data visualization.

Together, the new microscopes and enhanced computing infrastructure will further establish the MBL as a comprehensive destination for biological research, where scientists can move seamlessly from generating ideas to conducting sophisticated experiments and analyses.

"The MBL has a long history of supporting collaboration in an intensive research environment," Sylvester said. "We also have excellent relationships with the vendors who provide microscopy support, particularly during the MBL summer courses."

"It's been a team effort," Kerr added. "We're grateful for the vendors we work with, who have helped tailor these instruments to best suit the needs of the MBL research community."

The new additions to the Central Microscopy Facility will be available to MBL scientists and visiting researchers beginning in fall 2026.

The Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) is dedicated to scientific discovery – exploring fundamental biology, understanding marine biodiversity and the environment, and informing the human condition through research and education. Founded in Woods Hole, Massachusetts in 1888, the MBL is a private, nonprofit institution.

Media Contact:
Camille Ledoux
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SOURCE Marine Biological Laboratory