Massachusetts’ life sciences ecosystem is supported by world-class research institutions and the specialized infrastructure that enables new breakthroughs. Now, through the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center’s (MLSC) funding, researchers across the Commonwealth have access to a DALISPIM light sheet microscope from LifeCanvas Technologies: an open-top system for rapid 3D imaging of intact tissues with easy sample mounting for multi-round imaging.
In 2025, the microscope was funded through the MLSC’s Bits to Bytes program, now part of the Accelerating Research through Collaboration (ARC) Awards, supporting a public-private collaboration between Dr. Peter Sorger’s lab at Harvard Medical School (HMS) and LifeCanvas Technologies. The partnership is developing new volumetric cyclic immunofluorescence (v-CyCIF) methods for studying human tissues across many more biomarkers (up to 40) than has previously been possible. The DALISPIM instrument and v-CyCIF implementation will provide researchers with a more complete view of tumors and their vasculature and nerves, helping advance the study of cancer.
In work available on bioRxiv, HMS researchers Clarence Yapp and Alex Yu Hin Wong have used the DALISPIM to create 40-plex 3D images of human cancer specimens, allowing them to examine how tumor cells and surrounding healthy cells are organized within patient samples and identify spatial patterns that may not be visible using conventional imaging methods. The resulting data will soon be publicly available as part of the MLSC Bits-to-Bytes commitment to advancing data science.
The DALISPIM light sheet microscope is one of many available pieces of equipment featured in the MLSC’s Research Equipment Database (R.E.D.), which allows companies, research institutions, and other investigators in Massachusetts to search, find, and engage with our various partners across the Commonwealth to further utilize MLSC-funded equipment. Additionally, through Harvard Medical School’s Tissue Profiling Service, researchers throughout Massachusetts can access this microscope for their own projects. Please contact the Tissue Profiling Service at LSP-TPS@hms.harvard.edu to learn more.
Applications for the MLSC’s ARC Awards are open until Nov. 6, 2026 at 1 p.m. EST. Click here to learn more and apply today.
