A confocal microscope image of a mouse retina sparkling with fluorescent molecules, taken by scientists at the National Center for Microscopy and Imaging Research (NCMIR) at University of California San Diego School of Medicine and Shiley Eye Institute at UC San Diego Health, recently won first place in the National Institutes of Health’s 2016 Combined Federal Campaign “Beauty of Science" arts competition.
The image was reportedly published last year in the journal Cell Death and Disease as part of a study investigating potential restorative therapies for glaucoma. In the study, researchers investigated whether a non-disease-causing virus could be used to effectively deliver therapeutic genes to retinal ganglion cells. A virus carrying a gene tagged with green fluorescent protein (GFP) was reportedly introduced into the eyes of 7-month-old mice and two months later, the retinas were examined using large-scale mosaic confocal microscopy, producing the award-winning image.
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