Advancing Imaging Frontiers with the new Oxford-ZEISS Centre of Excellence

 
In December 2021, ZEISS entered a strategic partnership with the Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology (KIR) and the Institute of Developmental and Regenerative Medicine (IDRM), developing the Oxford-ZEISS Centre of Excellence (Oxford-ZCoE).

The Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology (KIR) is a world-leading medical research centre where discovery research drives development of transformative therapies for chronic inflammatory and degenerative disease.

This collaborative partnership promises to deliver a means through which to push the boundaries of both the very latest imaging technologies and analysis approaches to advance the study of global health and disease.

Professor Marco Fritzsche, Scientific Director of the Oxford-ZCoE

"We have built a concept that not only gives our researchers access to the latest commercially available optical imaging microscopes, but also to the unique expertise of ZEISS engineers in their research and development team. This gives us the freedom to raise questions relating to our areas of biological study that may challenge current microscopy capabilities, allowing us to continue to develop new technologies and transform microscopy across our research interests"

The scope provides a strong grounding for a close working relationship between the development team in the light microscopy division of ZEISS and personnel at the University of Oxford. This relationship is already delivering the anticipated impact with instrument modifications being jointly discussed and implemented. One of the disruptive imaging technologies that promises to re-define many experiments at the university is ZEISS Lattice Lightsheet 7. The very first UK installation of this system was at the Oxford-ZCoE in summer 2020 and modifications have already been made in order to advance the capability and really push the boundaries of the possible science.

Dr. Helena Coker, Advanced Microscopy Specialist for Lattice Lightsheet technology at the Oxford-ZCoE

"The collaboration between ZEISS and the university has been extremely beneficial in pushing forward what’s possible with the ZEISS Lattice Lightsheet 7 system. Many users of the centre are interested in working at the boundary of what the technology can provide and having a regular exchange with members of the technical team at ZEISS has been vital in establishing new experiments that sit outside the standard capability of the system"

Christoffer Lagerholm, Senior Advanced Microscopy Manager

"I am very excited to work with ZEISS to implement their latest advanced imaging technology for the researchers in our very exciting joint KIR and IDRM Oxford-ZEISS Centre of Excellence"

This collaborative arrangement is hugely beneficial to both parties. From the ZEISS perspective, having regular and close contact with the research teams at Oxford is vital for discussing future directions in microscopy and developing existing technologies to support the very latest applications and specimen demands.

One of the key priorities for the microscopy division is to develop our solutions in line with the ever-developing demands of the life science community and strong collaborations with academic partners is key for that goal. The Oxford-ZCoE forms a strong basis for these ongoing discussions, and we are excited to be working with the centre to help us to develop our existing solutions and future roadmap.

Dr. Bernhard Zimmermann, Head of Life Sciences at ZEISS Research Microscopy Solutions

"The Oxford-ZCoE already welcomes researchers and future partners looking to access pioneering microscopy and will be formally opened later in 2022"

Find out more by visiting the Oxford-ZCoE Centre website.

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