Helen Zenner

@helenzsci.bsky.social

Community Manager at FocalPlane (@focalplane.bsky.social) and Journal of Cell Science (@jcellsci.bsky.social) Online Editor. Views my own.

FOCUS-3D sounds fantastic. I can't quite believe the incredible amount of training data (& I like the fact that they included such a range of data.) I also like that it is possible to have a quick try with the method using the website option. I'm looking forward to the future developments as well!

FocalPlane @focalplane.bsky.social · last mo.

🔬🔦Our latest Imaging spotlight highlights FOCUS-3D, a tool for segmenting cells from 3D fluorescence images from Qinghua Zhang, @mads100tist.bsky.social, @gqyu.bsky.social & team. They tell us what’s different about FOCUS-3D and what makes it so useful and usable for biologists.

There's some really cool research in this list! This preprint from Suzi Kim, En Cai and team looking at T cell membrane organisation really stood out to me. Check out NanoMAP! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

FocalPlane @focalplane.bsky.social · 2mo ago

We’ve just published our latest #preprint list. This week we focus on research using microscopy to answer questions in biology. Let us know if you have any recommendations for us to add to the list. focalplane.biologists.com/2026/08/21/m...

I interviewed Anjali @thekusumbelab.bsky.social for @jcellsci.bsky.social in 2023, & we discussed the challenges of imaging bone. It’s fantastic to see their progress since then in their latest preprint! #sampleprep www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6... Interview: journals.biologists.com/jcs/article/...

Images extracted from Ding et al. 
e, Images of diaphysis of mouse tibia obtained from a light-sheet microscopy with high-magnification insets immunostained for CD31 (green) and Endomucin (red). Scale bars: upper, 300 µm; lower, 100 µm.

f, 3D images of a murine tibia labeled with CD31 (green), α-SMA (red), and DAPI (grey). Insets displaying the blood vessels in the metaphysis. Scale bars: left, 800 µm; middle, 500 µm; right, 200 µm.

g, Mouse molar prior to and post-tissue clearing. 3D image of a murine molar tooth showing staining for Endomucin (green) and α-SMA (red). Inset showing the selected region of interest. Scale bars: left, 600 µm; right, 90 µm.

h, 3D images of a mouse tibia acquired on a light-sheet microscopy platform post-clearing with vascular surface reconstruction (yellow) and spot rendering of CD8α-positive T cells (violet). Scale bars: panoptic tibia, 1000 µm; inset, 300 µm.

i, Representative light-sheet images of a murine femur labeled with CD8α (violet), Perilipin (yellow), and DAPI (grey) generated by 3D reconstruction. Scale bars: panoptic femur, 500 µm; inset, 100 µm.
FocalPlane @focalplane.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Our #preprint list highlighting the latest tools and techniques in #microscopy is now up on FocalPlane. Let us know if you have any recommendations and/or give a shout out to your favourite(s)! focalplane.biologists.com/2026/08/07/m...

I was so excited when @manuelthery.bsky.social agreed to write about this project for FocalPlane, but I didn't actually appreciate the scale it! The videos from the museum are incredible but the whole project is so much more. Check it out ⤵️

FocalPlane @focalplane.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Bringing together science & art, @manuelthery.bsky.social & the CytoMorpho lab describe their project on how cells adapt their shape to their environment using the Musée d’Orsay as their template! The full performance was presented over two nights at the museum earlier this year. #sciart #cellbio

I know for a fact that this list is 100% human-generated! For that reason, there are almost certainly some excellent research that I've missed.... Drop me a message if you have any suggestions that I should add to the list.

FocalPlane @focalplane.bsky.social · 4mo ago

📢Check out our latest preprint list on FocalPlane In this list, we focus on the latest tools and techniques in imaging, including sample prep, probes, hardware and software. focalplane.biologists.com/2026/06/26/m... Let us know if you've been reading a preprint that we should add to our list.

The 1% from QED has made for an interesting debate here! My initial thoughts - Highlighting research esp preprints is a good thing - Lists are good, rankings maybe not so much - What does a ranking even mean? - Can the LLM read the figures? Isn’t looking at the data how we evaluate research!?

I'm really excited for the 2nd webinar in our new series & I recommend checking out the abstracts from Laura & Sven on FocalPlane! I may also be looking forward to hearing whether it will be @ajcellbio.bsky.social or @joemckenna.bsky.social that will take on the tricky pronunciation of Brillouin!

FocalPlane @focalplane.bsky.social · 5mo ago

Register now for the 2nd webinar in our new series on quantitative plant imaging, hosted by @ajcellbio.bsky.social & @joemckenna.bsky.social. In this webinar we’ll hear from @laurabacete.bsky.social on Brillouin microscopy & @sventruckenbrodt.bsky.social on expansion microscopy. 🗓️16 July, 15:00 BST

It was fantastic to chat with Aníbal about the @lisium-chile.bsky.social initiative and Aníbal’s journey to becoming a light-sheet specialist and project coordinator at Universidad Mayor, Chile.

FocalPlane @focalplane.bsky.social · 8mo ago

Our Community Manager @helenzsci.bsky.social chats with Aníbal Vargas Ríos @anvargasr.bsky.social about the LiSIUM initiative, which is democratising access to light-sheet microscopy in Chile and throughout Latin America. focalplane.biologists.com/2026/02/17/i...

The next stop on our ‘Imaging with…’ series is at Unidad de Microscopía Avanzada, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. Meet the team (including the microscopes), discover how you can access the facility and learn their pet peeve! focalplane.biologists.com/2026/01/15/i...

Imaging with… Unidad de Microscopía Avanzada, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (UMA UC) - FocalPlane

Imaging with… Unidad de Microscopía Avanzada, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (UMA UC) - News

focalplane.biologists.com

The 2023 version of this meeting was fantastic and the 2026 programme promises to be just as brilliant! (I may also be thinking of chatting all thing microscopy in the Spanish sunshine while huddled inside in a cold and snowy Cambridge.) Sign up by Friday 16 Jan for the early-bird discount ⤵️

The Company of Biologists@biologists.bsky.social · 9mo ago

Early-bird deadline to join @jcellsci.bsky.social at their meeting on Imaging Cell Dynamics in Spain in May is Friday 16 January. Apply to attend at: biologists.com/meetings/jcs... #JCSimaging

🔬 🖥️ Applications are open for the CSHL course Quantitative Imaging: From Acquisition to Analysis (April 6–21, 2026)! An intensive, hands-on course covering advanced fluorescence microscopy and quantitative image analysis using open-source tools. 🗓️ Apply online by Jan 30, 2026

Quantitative Imaging: From Acquisition to Analysis

Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Meetings & Courses -- a private, non-profit institution with research programs in cancer, neuroscience, plant biology, genomics, bioinformatics.

meetings.cshl.edu

Thanks for catching that background slide, Chris! And thanks for the shout to @the-node.bsky.social, @prelights.bsky.social & @focalplane.bsky.social, Jez. I'm sad to miss the UK membrane trafficking meeting this year, but hope to see you both at @jcellsci.bsky.social imaging meeting next year!

Chris MacDonald@yorkyeast.bsky.social · 10mo ago

Haven’t posted for a while but @jezcarlton.bsky.social opening up the annual UK membrane trafficking meeting #UKMT seems like an appropriate reason to post! Great line up - as ever - with organisers Jez and Chris Stefan introducing a poster session too 🤓

At the end of last year, I was lucky enough to chat with both Jennifer and Manu. Check out these interviews in @jcellsci.bsky.social to find out more about these extraordinary scientists!

Journal of Cell Science@jcellsci.bsky.social · 2y ago

Our final plenary session at #biologists100 is on emerging technologies with talks from Jennifer Lippincott-Schwartz and Manu Prakash @prakashlab.bsky.social. You can read our interviews with Jennifer and Manu in JCS: journals.biologists.com/jcs/article/... journals.biologists.com/jcs/article/...

Jennifer and her lab