"We are investigating what happens when a certain type of cell in the immune system, known as B cells, starts growing out of control and develops into blood cancers such as leukaemia, lymphoma and myeloma. We want to know what happens when B cells mature normally from precursor cells in the bone marrow and discover what has gone wrong when they turn into cancer cells instead.

By taking a detailed look at B cells as they develop and specialise, we can spot small groups of dangerous cells that are particularly likely to turn into cancer and identify the genetic faults that drive B cells to grow out of control. And we are using our knowledge to create new models for the development of B cells and blood cancers in the lab, so that we can find new ways to treat or even prevent these deadly diseases. " (Source: Calado Lab, Immunity and Cancer Laboratory)

"We study the dynamics of tumor progression at multiple scales ranging from the molecular level to the organ level. During this process, the affected organ transforms from a highly organized and functional structure into a disorganized and dysfunctional assembly of cells. Our goal is to understand how healthy tissue architecture is involved in this dynamic process of tumorigenic transformation.

To fully understand the complex interplay between healthy tissue organization and malignant transformation, just visualization is not enough. Therefore, our lab combines imaging approaches with lineage tracing techniques to obtain quantitative information on cellular behavior, as well as more detailed molecular analysis to further understand the molecular networks involved in (pre-)malignant transformation.

Better understanding of the interplay between healthy tissue structure and transformed cells will give us new insights into how tissue architecture can either prevent or promote tumor initiation and progression. Ultimately, we aim to use these new insights to explore new therapeutic strategies that could delay or even prevent tumor progression." (Source: Scheele Lab, Laboratory for intravital microscopy and dynamics of tumor progression.)

Dr. Jacques Paysan holds a Ph.D. in Neurobiology and experienced 13 years of postdoctoral academic research in the field of Developmental Neuroscience, before he joined ZEISS in 2007. Jacques is a microscopy expert with vast experience working with researchers from different fields; with different methods and model organisms.
Informally, he is also known as the “MacGyver” of Lightsheet sample preparation, providing out-of-the-box solutions to image atypical samples. With such experience and skills, Jacques is going to talk about how creativity can enable scientific discovery.