Keith Siew
Guest Editor

https://doi.org/10.36866/pn.95.5

‘By the help of Microscopes, there is nothing so small as to escape our inquiry; hence there is a new visible World discovered to the understanding’
Robert Hooke, in Micrographia, 1665

It is my pleasure to welcome you, to this special imaging themed issue of Physiology News. Our aim is to introduce to both the expert and novice some of the exciting novel trends and emergent technologies in the field of Imaging, in particular what this plethora of new possibilities holds in store for physiological research.

Since the 1600s pioneers like Marcello Malpighi, the father of microscopic anatomy, utilised early microscopes to draw back the veil on the world hidden from the naked eye. Though it was not until the late 1800s that the optics breakthroughs of Ernst Abbe and developments in histological stains by Wissowzky, Golgi, Cajal and their ilk, would usher in a fundamentally new understanding of physiology, thereby cementing imaging as a cornerstone of our discipline.

In the midst of the 20th century, an explosion of new technologies led to a second revolution in biological imaging. For the first time cellular ultrastructure was revealed to us in exquisite detail with the electron microscope, the localisation and expression levels of specific proteins could be visualised by immunolabeling with conjugated antibodies, and diagnostic medicine was to be transformed by the birth of x-ray, ultrasound and magnetic resonance based imaging. As the century came to a close, the ability to track and image protein clusters in real-time and three dimensions took centre stage thanks to the discovery of fluorescent proteins and development of the confocal microscope.

Now over a decade into the post-genomic era, the time is ripe for the next great imaging revolution. Mechanical automation and computer assisted image analysis have seen microscopy become a truly quantitative technique (see high content screening microscopy on p28). Creative thinking has allowed us to overcome Abbe’s resolution limit of light microscopy, gifting us with the ability to quantify and localise single molecules (see super-resolution microscopy on p24). The transition from electron to ion based microscopes has revealed yet greater detail in the ultra-anatomy of tissues (see Helium ion imaging on p32), while on the macro end of the spectrum it is now possible to render whole organs transparent to light (see CLARITY meeting report on p20) and with relatively simple DIY microscopes live specimens can be imaged in toto over the course of days if not weeks (see light sheet microscopy on p40).

In this age of big data there is an ever growing risk of losing valuable information to resource and storage space constraints, and even less attention is given to preserving the skill sets and legacy left to us by histologists past, a species that is fast dying out (see the preservation efforts at Glasgow on p10). Advances in technology can often outpace our rulebooks, for example the differences between image manipulation and acceptable practice can be many shades of grey (see imaging ethics on p9).

However we also have much cause for celebration, the myriad technologies have set a trend toward core imaging facilities at universities and presents many new career opportunities for future physiologists (see the member profile of a bio-imager/physiologist on p44). The internet has given rise to many open access and community developed projects which have become incredibly valuable resources for labs around the world or those wishing to acquire a new skill (see imaging tools and freebies on p12).

Human health has also benefited greatly from advances in imaging. In 1926 Werner Forssmann tested the first cardiac catheterisation on himself, an achievement that got him both fired from his job and a Nobel prize, and decades later angiography is still the gold standard though now surrounded by an arsenal of new imaging modalities (see adjunctive coronary imaging on p36).

Finally I leave you with the question: Are we effectively communicating our science to the public? Although arguably easier to reach the masses with the many forms of media available today, doing so in an engaging and accessible manner remains a challenge. Seeing is believing, and perhaps images hold the key to a second renaissance in which art and science are no longer mutually exclusive. I have had the pleasure to work with those like Mara Haseltine (calamara.com), who believe that harmonious use of science and art can communicate the importance of understanding the world around us and appreciating the inherent beauty in it (See the BHF Image awards on p14 and the fusion of artist and scientist on p16). To quote French mathematician, Henri Poincare, “The scientist does not study nature because it is useful to do so. He studies it because he takes pleasure in it; and he takes pleasure in it because it is beautiful”.

We hope this issue will spark your imagination, perhaps bring insight into techniques you haven’t encountered and give food for thought on future experiments… And, of course, the images make pretty viewing!