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Date Announced: 03 Apr 2025
Juniper, FL and Newton, NJ – Thorlabs and the Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience (MPFI) are teaming up to push the boundaries of brain research through a new partnership agreement. This scientific collaboration will bring Thorlabs’ cutting-edge miniaturized two-photon microscope (Mini2P) imaging system and other imaging technologies to MPFI’s facilities, helping scientists to observe real-time neuronal activity in unprecedented detail.
“Our long-standing relationship with MPFI has been elevated to allow us to embed our advanced imaging development engineers into one of the world’s premier neuroscience research institutes. The partnership will enable Thorlabs to maintain leadership in the development of advanced imaging systems with the ability for real-time testing of new hardware and software developments and advanced training for personnel and customers in Neuronal Imaging,” said Jeff Brooker, Global Life Science CTO at Thorlabs.
The Mini2P technology allows researchers to conduct large-scale, high-resolution imaging of brain activity in unprecedented detail. By viewing more neurons during a wide variety of behavioral situations, researchers will get more personalized insight into how brain activity influences behavior, leading to new diagnostic tools and treatments for brain disorders. In addition, this collaboration will utilize next-generation biosensors developed by MPFI’s laboratories to visualize new types of activity in the brain, providing never-before-seen perspectives on how our brains function normally and in disease.
“As a global leader in brain health, MPFI is excited by the addition of Thorlabs’ multi-modal recording techniques to our technology portfolio. This partnership will enable us to accelerate the path to precision medicine and to develop powerful new techniques to diagnose, monitor, and treat neurological disorders,” said Dr. Lin Tian, MPFI Scientific Director.
Beyond advancing research, this collaboration will allow MPFI and Thorlabs to offer training opportunities, expert workshops, and knowledge-sharing within the scientific community. It is the latest investment in Palm Beach County’s burgeoning life-sciences industry and will facilitate scientific exchange between leading optical experts and researchers, as well as cultivate an environment to support further economic investment and job creation.
MPFI’s research groups have a shared focus on applying state-of-the-art imaging approaches to understand how the structure and function of the brain guide our development and behavior, and the individual labs have robust support from the experts in MPFI’s Imaging Center. By incorporating Thorlabs’ Mini2P technology into the institute, researchers will not only have access to the latest microscopy tools, but they will also be able to shape future developments and technology that best supports their research through reciprocal exchanges with Thorlabs personnel.
“The Max Planck Society’s model is to bring in the best scientists and equip them with the technology that they need to focus on science and be successful,” said Scientific Director Dr. Ryohei Yasuda. “We are excited to bring another thriving technology partnership to Palm Beach County and look forward to the advances in brain health that it will enable.”
About the Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience
Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience (MPFI), a not-for-profit research organization, is part of the world-renowned Max Planck Society, Germany’s most successful research organization with over 80 institutes worldwide. Since its establishment, 31 Nobel laureates have emerged from the ranks of its scientists. As its first U.S. institution, MPFI provides exceptional neuroscientists with the resources and technology to answer fundamental questions about brain development and function. MPFI researchers employ a curiosity-driven approach to science to develop innovative technologies that make groundbreaking scientific discoveries possible.
About Thorlabs
Thorlabs, a vertically integrated photonics products manufacturer, was founded in 1989 to serve the laser and electro-optics research market. As that market has spawned a multitude of technical innovations, Thorlabs has extended its core competencies in an effort to play an ever-increasing role to serve the Photonics Industry at the research end, as well as the industrial, life science, medical, and defense segments. The organization’s highly integrated and diverse manufacturing assets include semiconductor fabrication of Fabry-Perot, DFB, and VCSEL lasers; fiber towers for drawing both silica and fluoride glass optical fibers; MBE/MOCVD epitaxial wafer growth reactors; extensive glass and metal fabrication facilities; advanced thin film deposition capabilities; and optomechanical and optoelectronic shops.
E-mail: OEMSales@thorlabs.com
Web Site: thorlabs.com
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