Now in our 13th year of bringing you beautiful imagery from biomedical science every day

Search the archive of over 4000 images

Tracing individual cells during embryonic development using triggerable fluorescent marker and software

19 September 2020

Prime Movers

From its earliest stages, life is on the move. As these lively mouse embryonic cells swirl around they also divide, setting their descendants on different paths to become tissues and organs, even before they imbed in the womb. The fragile nature of embryonic cells, coupled with their erratic movement, makes following early development a challenge, even with advanced microscope tracking software. But here researchers give the cells a special fluorescent protein ‘primed’ to change from green to red (seen in purple here). Triggering this switch in one of the embryo’s first four cells provides a reference point to light sheet microscopy coupled with new computer software, reorienting the embryo and stabilising the video. These techniques should make it easier to study the lineage of embryonic cells, revealing the secrets of these first moments of life.

Written by John Ankers

Search The Archive

Submit An Image

Follow on Tumblr

Follow on Instagram

What is BPoD?

BPoD stands for Biomedical Picture of the Day. Managed by the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences until Jul 2023, it is now run independently by a dedicated team of scientists and writers. The website aims to engage everyone, young and old, in the wonders of biology, and its influence on medicine. The ever-growing archive of more than 4000 research images documents over a decade of progress. Explore the collection and see what you discover. Images are kindly provided for inclusion on this website through the generosity of scientists across the globe.

Read More

BPoD is also available in Catalan at www.bpod.cat with translations by the University of Valencia.