Finnish and German researchers have developed open source software designed to make processing bioimaging data easier. BioImageXD will help scientists analyze cell and tissue functions, including the way molecules move and bond. They say it could enable scientists to better understand concepts such as how cancer cells spread or how targeted drugs enter cells. The software does not require users to have programming skills to create new analysis methods, simultaneously process thousands of images, or analyze millions of molecules. The application is important because although there have recently been significant advances in microscopy and 3D imaging, the software used for such work has not kept pace. The University of Jyväskylä, Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, and Turku Centre for Biotechnology have contributed to the development of BioImageXD over the past decade, with funding from the Academy of Finland, the EU, and the Finnish Funding Agency for Technology and Innovation. A forthcoming special issue of Nature Methods on biomedical imaging will feature the research. (Science Daily)(Academy of Finland)
