For the past decade, Janelia’s Advanced Imaging Center (AIC) has enabled hundreds of scientists from all over the world to use state-of-the-art microscopes at the research campus before they become commercially available. Now, AIC Director Teng-Leong Chew is setting his sights on bringing imaging technologies to researchers in underserved communities around the globe.

Recently, Chew worked with colleagues from Africa, Latin America, North America, Europe, and Asia to bring together microscopy technology developers, funders, and community leaders. During a three-day conference at HHMI’s Janelia Research Campus, the group met to discuss how to provide microscopes, resources, and training to scientists around the world who have limited access to imaging tools.

The participants talked about initiatives to improve imaging in underserved areas: from devising mobile phone microscopes that can be used to detect blood-borne parasitic infections in sub-Saharan Africa to creating training programs and community-building efforts that will help ensure researchers can use the tools once they receive them. 

Chew hopes that by giving local scientists the tools and support they need, investigators will be empowered to do research that is important to them and their communities. 

“Unfortunately, there are a lot of neglected places affected by food insecurity, infectious diseases, environmental problems, and other challenges,” says Chew, who was recently named an honorary professor at The University of Cape Town for his work in establishing the Africa Microscopy Initiative, a multi-pronged program to build microscopy capacity and expertise in Africa. “Local scientists can do research contextualized to the region better than we can, but unfortunately, they don't have the tools or the support.”

Chew says he was motivated to organize the Janelia meeting after years of attending global imaging conferences that focused on how to enable scientific discoveries but lacked a shared strategy and vision for how to encourage local scientists to adopt microscopy for their work in the first place.

“Nobody was really talking about what it means to disseminate technology,” Chew says. “The conversation is always focused on how to distribute technologies, but rarely about how these efforts can facilitate scientific discovery, which is the ultimate goal of technology dissemination. Now, I think it's time to talk about how to cross the finish line.” 

Chew says the meeting helped to raise awareness about the ultimate goal of not only imaging technology distribution, but also imaging technology adoption by local scientists who might not be completely familiar with the power of modern microscopy. The conference also helped to align the participants around shared goals and to convey to funders the importance of technology distribution in addition to technology development. 

Now, the group is looking toward the future and figuring out how to put some of the ideas discussed at the Janelia conference into action. 

“The community is ready, energized, and united,” Chew says. “We have now set our sights on leveraging technology dissemination, not as a means unto itself, but to achieve the ultimate goal, which is to facilitate scientific discovery worldwide.”

• Learn more about the AIC.  
• Learn more about Janelia conferences. 

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Related publications:

Reiche, M.A., Jacobs, C.A., Aaron, J.S. et al. “A comprehensive strategy to strengthen bioimaging in Africa through the Africa Microscopy Initiative.” Nature Cell Biology. Published October 06, 2023. DOI: 10.1038/s41556-023-01221-w 

Reiche, M.A., Warner, D.F., Aaron, J. et al. “Imaging Africa: a strategic approach to optical microscopy training in Africa.” Nature Methods. Published August 05, 2021. DOI: 10.1038/s41592-021-01227-y  

De Niz, M.,  Escobedo García, R.,  Terán Ramirez, C.,  Pakowski, Y.,  Abonza, Y.,  Bialy, N.,  Orr, V. L.,  Olivera, A. et al. “Building momentum through networks: Bioimaging across the Americas.” Journal of Microscopy. Published May 15, 2024. DOI: 10.1111/jmi.13318