2014 Photomicrography Competition

Image of Distinction

Living pancreatic islets

Dr. Rory Duncan

Affiliation
Heriot-Watt University
Edinburgh Super-Resolution Imaging Consortium
Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom
Technique
2-Photon Microscopy
Magnifaction
63

Living pancreatic islets: the groups of cells that make and secrete insulin; if they go wrong, this can lead to diabetes. This entire structure is around one-tenth of a millimeter across and each ‘blob’ is a single cell. The green cells have been infected with a virus that delivers genes that can modify the cellular behavior and perhaps one day, lead to a better understanding of diabetes.