National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), which is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, MD
The image depicts a microphotograph of follicular thyroid carcinoma cells, which he titles, The Cosmic Bubble. At the center of this image is a thyroid follicle lined by carcinoma cells in the periphery (identified by the dark nuclei with a pinkish-white border, surrounded by a granular cytoplasm). The dark region inside the follicle is the colloid, and the ‘bubbles’ inside the colloid represent the empty spaces left due to the scalloping of the colloid by the surrounding carcinoma cells. The vivid magenta and cyan-colored areas represent the fibrous bands within the tumor. The large, dark oval void in the bottom left is colloid. This image highlights the hyperactive nature of thyroid carcinoma cells, as evidenced by the consumption of the colloid, which leaves empty circular ‘scalloped’ areas. This modified darkfield-filter illumination technique makes the tissues more luminescent and dynamic, resulting in an image that looks like an alien world, with the scalloped areas appearing as mysterious ‘cosmic bubbles’.
Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
This image showcases a neuronal population (highlighted in a vibrant, fiery hue) located within the paraventricular nucleus of the thalamus (PVT), which is being investigated for its potential involvement in thermoregulation. Remarkably, these PVT neurons exhibit a unique, heart-shaped spatial arrangement. The image was captured using a fluorescence microscope with a 10X objective lens. The photo is aptly titled "Follow Your Heart, But Take Your Brain With You.”
University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
A confocal microscope image reveals the neurodiversity of the hypothalamic arcuate nucleus dopaminergic (A12) neurons of an adult female rat. It showcases their complex innervation patterns and diverse morphologies, offering a glimpse into their often-overlooked roles, not only in prolactin regulation but also as key players in other aspects of neuroendocrine and metabolic homeostasis. To capture this intricate network, we employed stereotaxic techniques, injecting Cre-inducible AAVs with cutting-edge Brainbow markers into the arcuate nucleus of a transgenic female tyrosine hydroxylase Cre recombinase rat. Immunohistochemical staining allowed us to visualize tyrosine hydroxylase-immunoreactive cells (cyan; marker for dopamine) and intricately trace A12 neurons using the Brainbow markers; enhanced green fluorescent protein (green) and mCherry (red), thereby revealing detailed morphological structures and innervation patterns.
University of Sao Paulo - USP and UFCG - Brazil
The image displays a rare lymph node metastasis observed in both axillae, originating from a columnar cell thyroid carcinoma. The patient, a male with BRAF mutation V600E, underwent refractory treatment. The original image of the FNA specimen was modified using the mirror technique. This endeavour represents a pioneering combination of precision medicine and art within the Brazilian Public Health System.
MaineHealth Institute for Research, Scarborough, ME
The submitted image comes from a Ghrl-Cre/mTmG transgenic animal, in which X/A-like cells are endogenously labeled in green, while other cells appear in red. Additionally, we performed DAPI staining to visualize nuclei in blue. X/A-like cells are a well-known subset of enteroendocrine cells, primarily responsible for producing ghrelin, also known as the 'hunger hormone.' These cells play a crucial role in endocrine science, as ghrelin is a key regulator of appetite, energy balance, and metabolic processes, with systemic effects on multiple organs, including the skeleton. During my postdoctoral training, I have been studying these cells to better understand their role in skeletal homeostasis and their broader endocrine functions.
University of Oxford, UK
Islet Kaleidoscope: Cellular Diversity in the Human Pancreas. This immunofluorescence image captures the intricate cellular architecture of the human pancreas, acquired using a fluorescent slide scanner at 20x magnification. Nuclei are stained blue, highlighting the dense cellular environment. Human pancreatic islets are revealed as vibrant clusters of endocrine cells, each subtype labelled with a specific antibody: glucagon-expressing alpha cells glow in yellow, insulin-producing beta cells appear in magenta, and somatostatin-secreting delta cells shine in cyan. The image showcases the spatial organisation and heterogeneity of islet cell types encased within the exocrine tissue. An inset displays a magnified view of a single islet, offering a closer look at the cellular mosaic that underpins glucose homeostasis.
University of Chicago, Chicago, IL
Thyroid hormones (TH) are critical for brain development, but their roles in brain-infiltrating microglia remain largely unexplored. This image highlights brain-infiltrating microglia (cyan) within perinatal neurogenic niches expressing an enzyme that metabolizes TH (magenta). By regulating TH availability in these cells, this pathway sits at the intersection of numerous neurodevelopmental, neurodegenerative, and neurological disorders.
University of Illinois - Chicago, Chicago, IL
“Changing of the seasons." Mouse ovaries imaged using MALDI mass spectrometry reveal age-related shifts in lipid distribution. Each color (magenta, cyan, yellow, and bronze) represents the abundance of four different lipid ions, among the 500+ lipids detected. The top five ovaries (petals) are from young mice, while the bottom five belong to reproductively old mice. The core of the flower features an ovary from a mature-aged mouse. Follicles, oocytes, and stroma reflect age-specific changes in lipid ovarian metabolism. This is, to our knowledge, the first spatial visualization of ovarian lipidomic changes due to aging.
Madrid, Spain
Oxytocin is a key hormone with essential roles in physiology and behavior. Its synthesis involves structural and functional changes in the supraoptic and paraventricular nuclei of the hypothalamus, including interactions between magnocellular neurons and glial cells. This image captures oxytocin-producing magnocellular neurons (green) surrounded by astrocytic fibers (magenta), highlighting the neuro-glial interplay that regulates oxytocin synthesis and the dynamic cellular environment shaping endocrine function.
NIH, Bethesda, MD
Hormones and hearing. Early developmental impairments of thyroid hormone signaling can lead to hearing loss or deafness associated with defective function of the cochlea, the auditory sensory organ. This image shows cochlear spiral ganglion neurons that relay auditory information to the brain. These neurons express DIO3, a thyroid hormone-degrading enzyme (pale blue) that regulates the level of exposure to thyroid hormone.
New York, NY
Microscopy images of TSH and IGF receptors on tanycytes (1-5-9-27-28), GLP1 receptors in the pancreatic islets(23), SNS PRV152 and sensory viruses in the hypothalamus(13-22).
