Janelia’s tool-builders are independent experts in a range of physical, chemical, and biological disciplines who develop creative solutions for problems in biology.
We develop microscopes that allow imaging of biological systems with unprecedented resolution and depth as well as new imaging agents that enable measurement of phenomena inside cells or animals.
We also freely share our tools – a hallmark of the Janelia ethos – and the microscopes, dyes, and sensors developed at Janelia are being used in labs around the world.
As Janelia moves into new research areas, labs in the Molecular Tools and Imaging program will continue to invent novel reagents and technologies that push the boundaries of biological discovery.
09/01/22 | Janelia scientists discover new kind of synapse in neurons’ tiny hairs: Primary cilia, an often overlooked, hair-like organelle on the cell surface, could play a key role in how cells communicate long-term changes.
08/25/22 | New nanosensor gives unprecedented look at dopamine release: Researchers capture the release of dopamine across the entire neuron with unparalleled spatial resolution using new technology developed at Janelia.
09/26/19 | How Neural Circuits Form in a Developing Embryo: A new imaging method follows young neurons in a developing embryo as they progress from a messy jumble of cells into a coordinated control center. The approach lets scientists track development and emerging cell function simultaneously across entire circuits.
09/03/19 | Please welcome our newest group leader, Abraham Beyene! He’ll join us at Janelia soon.
08/01/19 | “Voltron” Imaging Tool Captures Brain Cell Action in Living Animals: Janelia scientists have developed a new way to track neural activity. The technique can target specific brain cells and relies on dyes that are brighter and more stable than those currently used.
07/29/19 | SLAP Microscopy Smashes Speed Barriers: A new two-photon microscope captures videos of the brain faster than ever, revealing voltage changes and neurotransmitter release.
05/31/19 | Astrocytes Protect Neurons From Toxic Buildup: Neurons off-load toxic by-products to astrocytes, which process and recycle them.
01/17/19 | How to Rapidly Image Entire Brains at Nanoscale Resolution: A powerful new technique combines expansion microscopy with lattice light-sheet microscopy for nanoscale imaging of fly and mouse neuronal circuits and their molecular constituents that’s roughly 1,000 times faster than other methods.
Head of Molecular Tools and Imaging
Janelia scientists develop new ways to track neural activity. One tool, called Voltron, pairs a multipart voltage-sensitive protein with bright and stable dyes, allowing researchers to track neuron activity in living animals more precisely and for far longer time periods than was once possible.
Merging two imaging technologies – lattice light-sheet microscopy and adaptive optics – reveals the most detailed picture yet of subcellular dynamics in multicellular organisms.
This technology from the Keller Lab allows researchers to visualize whole-brain activity and entire developing embryos in real time at subcellular resolution.
The Lavis Lab improved upon small-molecule fluorophore synthesis to develop bright and photostable fluorescent dyes that enable imaging and tracking of individual molecules inside living cells.
Postdocs
Multiple labs are recruiting postdocs. Please see each lab webpage for more details.
Learn more about postdoc life at Janelia.
Doctoral Students
More information can be found here.
“Janelia was founded on the idea that tool-builders should work alongside biologists to solve important scientific problems.”
-Luke Lavis
