In the last 5 years we have all witnessed how modern low-toxicity
imaging technologies have provided new options for researchers that want to
examine complex biological processes over very long time periods at sub
cellular resolution. Research areas such as developmental, stem cell and cancer
cell biology have all benefited greatly from employing techniques such as
spinning disk / multi point confocal, (lattice) light sheet, swept field and
structured illumination microscopy. At conferences as well as in one-on-one
meetings I often hear that the major bottleneck felt is the efficient
visualisation and analysis of long 3D time-lapse data sets. We have been
developing tools for this purpose for over 20 years and we want to continue to
offer powerful enabling tools. We have decided to build on the strength of our
file format (recently made open access)
and the success and functionality of Imaris Track (Track was initially launched in 2003 and used in
over 1200 peer reviewed publications since). We are now working on a tool set
which enables researches to study cell division, track and interactively explore
cell lineages.
This blog will provide an insight into the development
process, post updates on the progress, discuss (potential) features and provide
a space for experts to express their views on the topic. If you are active in
the fields of developmental biology, (stem) cell biology, embryogenesis, cancer
biology, or others that use lineage tracking, you are welcome to contribute –
get in touch via blog@bitplane.com.
Image credits, Gopi Shah
