3D imaging technology for clinical applications. [Image: Alpenglow Biosciences]
Optics technology giant Zeiss, Germany, has announced a partnership with Alpenglow Biosciences, USA, to jointly develop an inverted light-sheet microscope and bioinformatics pipeline for clinical applications. According to the companies, the combination of their respective expertise will “enable the broader adoption of 3D pathology” across a variety of fields.
“Together, we are introducing an integrated solution for analyzing entire tissue samples and improving reproducibility to meet the evolving needs of both translational research and clinical settings,” said Michael Albiez, head of Zeiss Research Microscopy Solutions. “This collaboration will enable researchers and clinicians to gain deeper insights into tissue and cellular structures with greater efficiency and precision, ultimately facilitating more personalized and effective treatments.”
Leveraging light sheets and AI
Alpenglow, based in Seattle, specializes in open-top light-sheet microscopy, data processing and AI-driven analysis. The company’s Aurora platform leverages a light-sheet microscope to image whole tissues in full spatial context, without sectioning, and then uses AI and machine learning to analyze the complex biological data into actionable visualizations. The 3D images can give insights into tissue structure, immune response, drug effects and other information difficult to obtain through 2D imaging, according to Alpenglow.
“Partnering with ZEISS represents a significant step forward in our mission to revolutionize pathology by extracting and analyzing the wealth of information contained in every single cell of a biopsy, rather than relying on just a small fraction of the tissue,” said Alpenglow CEO Nicholas Reder in a press release.
The goal of the partnership is to create the fastest whole tissue imaging system to date by combining Alpenglow’s capabilities in data processing and AI with Zeiss’s expertise in light-sheet imaging technologies and visualization software, including the Zeiss Lattice Lightsheet 7 platform and arivis software. After the 3D images are created, a “GPU-accelerated imaging analytics pipeline” could help users get clinical insights more quickly than through traditional workflows, and the companies say that the use of AI to analyze the images could enable fast, individualized treatment plans for patients.
A variety of applications
The companies plan to develop a range of applications throughout the course of the multi-phased partnership, including for enhanced 3D pathology workflows, translational research for disease biology and characterization of novel biomarkers, drug development and AI-enabled clinical decision support.
“We are excited to collaborate with Alpenglow and leverage their deep expertise in AI and software development," said Michael Albiez, head of Zeiss Research Microscopy Solutions. “This partnership combines Alpenglow’s rapidly growing reputation with pharmaceutical companies and clinicians with the leadership of Zeiss in light-sheet microscopy, enabling the creation of powerful, fully integrated workflows for 3D pathology, from sample to analytics.”