The Centenary Institute has announced the winner of its When Art Meets Science competition, which showcases the intersection of groundbreaking medical research and visually stunning imagery. You can vote online for the best image in the People’s Choice Awards.
The Centenary Institute is a world-leading, independent medical research organization based in Sydney, Australia. Topics the Institute investigates include cancer, ageing, inflammation and rare diseases.
As part of their important research, scientists at the Centenary Institute examine many microscope images of cells and tissues. Over the years they have found that some of these images are strikingly beautiful, which prompted them to create the annual scientific image competition “When Art Meets Science” in 2009. This year’s winners have just been announced.
“Our Scientific Image Prize is a window into the innovative medical research taking place at our institute,” said Marc Pellegrini, executive director of the Centenary Institute. “These stunning images created by our talented researchers combine the beauty of art with the rigor of science and demonstrate our commitment to new discoveries that can save lives. I applaud all the entrants for their inspiring contributions.”
Ka Ka Ting/Centenary Institute
Dr. Ka Ka Ting of the institute’s Center for Healthy Aging took first place with her striking image, “Cloudy Brain with a Chance of Forgetfulness,” which shows a mouse’s hippocampus – a brain region responsible for memory, learning and emotions – covered in round, white amyloid plaques, one of the hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease. Amyloid plaques can damage blood vessels (shown in red) that normally form a barrier to harmful substances entering and leaving the brain. Damage to brain cells (blue) and blood vessels caused by these plaques can lead to memory loss, which is common in Alzheimer’s patients.
Bobby Boumelhem/Centenary Institute
Second place went to “Close to My Heart” by Dr. Bobby Boumelhem of the Centenary Institute’s Center for Cancer Innovations, an image of breast cancer tumor cells growing in a dish that is as haunting as it is important for research into this devastating disease.
“We wanted to find out how breast cancer cells react to different stimuli,” explains Boumelhem. “We measured morphological changes microscopically, using a marker that stains the cell structure (phalloidin, magenta) and the cell nuclei (DAPI, yellow).”
Heidi Strauss/Centenary Institute
Third prize went to Heidi Strauss, a research fellow at the Centenary Institute’s Center for Rare Diseases and Gene Therapy. “Roses are Red” is an image of a collection of cells grown directly from a patient’s donated pancreatic tumor tissue. The cells will be used to create organoids, miniature organs that retain the properties of the original and can be used to test new treatments.
In addition to the winning entries, there are other outstanding works, such as another image by Boumelhem, “A Bridge Between Worlds,” which shows how healthy pluripotent stem cells from mice develop into neurons in the lab. Pluripotent stem cells can make any cell in the body and have great potential for regenerative medicine. By understanding how these cells develop, scientists hope to create – or potentially replace – damaged or diseased neurons. Boumelhem has copied his image of developing neurons and flipped it.
Bobby Boumelhem/Centenary Institute
A panel of external judges will determine the winners of the competition. Although the winners have already been announced, you can still have your say in this year’s When Art Meets Science People’s Choice Award. Go to the Centenary Institute website to vote online for the best image. You can only choose one entry, so choose carefully.
And don’t forget to check out our gallery for more fascinating images.
Source: Centenary Institute
