Combining art and science creates a special energy that boosts creativity, enhances understanding, and enriches the human experience. Throughout history, many great minds have demonstrated that art and science can coexist harmoniously, leading to significant developments and a deeper understanding of both fields.
In this spirit, the Lund Stem Cell Center hosted its annual Image Competition, inviting all members of our scientific community—researchers, students, and technical staff—to take part. The submissions were as varied as the research conducted within our walls, ranging from scientific images to photographs and collages that creatively represented their research or laboratory environment.
This year the review process was conducted by a panel comprising the Executive Coordinator of the Research School in Stem Cell Biology and several members of the Lund Stem Cell Center Steering Group. They evaluated each submission based on visual impact, scientific contribution, originality, and the accompanying story, ensuring a comprehensive assessment.
With great excitement, the Lund Stem Cell Center proudly announces the winners of the 2024 Image Competition and extends congratulations on their achievements. We also express our sincere appreciation to all participants who shared their scientific artistry with us.
Now, we invite you to join us for a visual journey as we present these images for the first time. Explore the gallery below, where each image offers a unique glimpse into the world of scientific discovery—a bridge connecting art and science.
Explore our 2023 Image Gallery:
First Place:
Researcher: Yu-Ping Shen, PhD Student, Kokaia Research Group*
Description: This diffusion tensor MR image with fiber tractography showed amazing, complex, and orderly neuronal fiber tracks in the rat brain. It’s messy at right side like the bed head hair due to the middle cerebral artery stroke. “How to comb it” is still being studied. This image technique could help us to know how the stroke impacts the projection of neuronal fibers, not only in the lesion site but also other associated regions.
*The researchers would like to acknowledge Michael Gottschalk for the professional MRI support.
Second Place:
Researchers: Edoardo Sossi, PhD student, and Alessandro Fiorenzano, Associate Researcher, Parmar Research Group
Description: Innervation of the host brain by grafted human dopaminergic neurons, holding the promise of a cell replacement therapy for Parkinson's Disease. The image presents an immunohistochemistry of human embryonic stem cell derived dopaminergic neurons grafted in the striatum of an animal model for Parkinson's Disease. GFP (white) NEUN (red).
Third Place:
Researcher: Lennart Rik, Master's Student, Leigh Research Group
Description: TOP: Black-and-white brightfield microscope photo of four salamander larvae. From left, specimens 1, 3 and 4 are leucistic mutants with the pigment gene knocked out, while specimen 2 is a normal, unmutated wild type. BOTTOM: Fluorescent microscope photo of the same animals revealing which cells are producing collagen.
Researcher: Lennart Rik, Master's Student, Leigh Research Group
Description: During sample preparation, possibly due to dehydration with methanol, a salamander egg's animal pole imploded, unexpectedly exposing its intricate internal structure. This detail is highlighted in a combined image where three fluorescent channels, using colors red, blue, and yellow, overlay the black-and-white brightfield image.
Researcher: Lennart Rik, Master's Student, Leigh Research Group
Description: A tumour suppressor gene named Rbl2 (retinoblastoma-like 2) expression is visualized (in red) on a young salamander's developing head. This is done via fluorescent probes which highlight cells expressing Rbl2. In blue we see background autofluorescence from another channel.
Researcher: Perrine Burdeyron, Postdoctoral Researcher, Mohlin Research Group
Description: A chick embryo is growing attached to the yolk. The embryo is supplied with oxygen and nutrients through the two big blood vessels entering at the middle of the embryonic body. We use chick embryos to study early development and formation of childhood cancer. Injection of non-toxic food dye allows visualisation of the blood circulation during development.
Researcher: Perrine Burdeyron, Postdoctoral Researcher, Mohlin Research Group
Description: A chick embryo is growing attached to the yolk. The embryo is supplied with oxygen and nutrients through the two big blood vessels entering at the middle of the embryonic body. We use chick embryos to study early development and formation of childhood cancer. Injection of non-toxic food dye allows visualisation of the blood circulation during development.
Researcher: Perrine Burdeyron, Postdoctoral Researcher, Mohlin Research Group
Description: A chick embryo is growing attached to the yolk. The embryo is supplied with oxygen and nutrients through the two big blood vessels entering at the middle of the embryonic body. We use chick embryos to study early development and formation of childhood cancer. Injection of non-toxic food dye allows visualisation of the blood circulation during development.
Researcher: Johanna Farley, PhD student, Gopal Research Group
Description: Who needs a lab book when you can snap a photo to document everything you do in the lab? Normal people have a camera roll filled with friends, food, and great memories. A PhD student has a digital record of reagents used, cells in culture, experiments, and motivational quotes.
"When searching for an image that would best represent my research all I could find was mundane snapshots of everyday things in the lab that I have taken to document for later. For a scientist, this is probably a relatable phenomenon. But I imagine my mum would look at these photos from a new perspective. I remembered how in awe she is whenever I show her an image of my cells, something I see every day. I study molecular mechanisms of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition in mammalian cells using techniques like gene editing, flow cytometry and a lot of microscopy! Our goal is to uncover the mechanisms behind breast cancer metastasis. I hope that this collage provides a little bit of insight into the daily life of a scientist!" // Johanna Farely.
Researcher: Sara Palma-Tortosa, Postdoctoral Researcher, Kokaia Research Group
Description: Oligodendrocytes are myelinating cells of the central nervous system affected in disorders such as multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer disease or stroke. Here we aim to generate this cell populate in a late with the aim of transplanting them into the patient brain to decrease the deficits observed in patients.
Researcher: Sara Palma-Tortosa, Postdoctoral Researcher, Kokaia Research Group
Description: Oligodendrocytes are myelinating cells of the central nervous system affected in disorders such as multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer disease or stroke. Here we aim to generate this cell populate in a late with the aim of transplanting them into the patient brain to decrease the deficits observed in patients.
Researcher: Sara Palma-Tortosa, Postdoctoral Researcher, Kokaia Research Group
Description: We intend to generate oligodendrocytes, the myelin-producing cells of the central nervous system, for transplantation into the brains of patients with conditions like multiple sclerosis or stroke. This transplantation aims to mitigate the deficits experienced by these patients.
Researcher: Melina (Symela) Koutounidou, Project Assistant, Douse Research Group
Description: Inspired by some spontaneous scribbles of our names on post-it notes, our lab's wall now displays our members' names in all different languages spoken in the lab. This colorful collage is a reflection of our diverese backgrounds, united by our shared excitement for science.
Researcher: Xiaojie Xian, Staff Scientist, Woods Research Group
Description: It is a beautiful picture of iPS cells producing de novo blood. You see the bright round cells and their halo which are the new blood cells emerging from the darker spindle shaped endothelia cells underneath. This is Endothelial to Hematopoietic Transition in action.
Researcher: Camille Sauter, Postdoctoral Researcher, Bourgine Research Group*
Description: Creating art with only scientific tools found in our lab.
*The researchers would like to acknowledge Aurélie Baudet, Alexandra Chatzidaniil, Laura Rabanal Cajal, and David Hildago Gil for participating in the creation of this piece.
