Could you please introduce yourself and describe your area of expertise and research focus?

I am Sylvain Gabriele, Professor at the University of Mons (Belgium), where I lead the SYMBIOSE Lab and co-direct the AdHuCell platform within the Research Institute for Biosciences. Our research focuses on mechanobiology, specifically how mechanical forces shape cell behavior. We investigate how cells sense, adapt to, and retain memory of physical cues such as matrix stiffness, confinement, and curvature. To address these questions, we combine advanced biomaterials, engineered 3D microsystems, and high-resolution imaging. This integrated approach allows us to uncover how mechanical interactions regulate key biological processes, including tissue morphogenesis, cancer invasion, and regeneration.

What specific features of the ECLIPSE Ji stood out to you upon first use?

First, the smart automation. The system can detect the sample, adjust illumination and focus, and optimize imaging conditions within seconds.

It is remarkably intuitive, allowing students and researchers to focus on their experiments rather than on instrument settings. We also value the flexibility it offers: users can operate it in a fully automated mode using Smart Assays or seamlessly switch to advanced AX confocal acquisition when more control is required.

How has the ECLIPSE Ji contributed to or advanced your research in mechanobiology?

It has transformed the way we capture and analyze 3D cell behavior. Using the confocal mode with a large field of view, we can image entire microtissues or migrating cell collectives while still resolving fine structures such as actin organization and nuclear deformations. This multi-scale capability is essential for linking cell-scale architecture to tissue-level mechanics, which lies at the core of our work.

Which applications or experiments have benefited most from the ECLIPSE Ji in your lab?

Our recent work on the mechanics of breast tumor spheroids and the confined migration of small cell clusters has particularly benefited from the system. 

For instance, we can now track cytoskeletal reorganization as a function of spheroid size or deformation under mechanical stress, while generating high-content datasets that were previously too time-consuming to acquire.

Have you noticed any improvements in reproducibility or data consistency since using this microscope?

The automation and predefined imaging protocols ensure that all users acquire data under consistent conditions, minimizing variability between sessions and operators. This has significantly improved the reproducibility and consistency of our datasets, particularly in long-term 3D culture experiments where small differences in illumination or focus previously affected results. For example, we now obtain more robust and reliable measurements of DNA damage using γH2AX staining combined with “Smart Assays”.

Has the compatibility of the ECLIPSE Ji with the AX Confocal enhanced your ability to study 3D cultures or bioengineered microsystems? If so, in what ways?

Absolutely. The Ji-AX integrates seamlessly with our AX confocal system and high-magnification silicone immersion objectives. We recently used it to investigate how the actin cortex contributes to the stabilization of mechanical memory during confined cell migration. We are now leveraging the Ji’s performance in AX confocal mode to study cell–cell interactions and the complex cytoskeletal architecture in curved epithelial tissues and breast spheroids composed of both healthy and tumor cells. This workflow, from rapid Ji imaging to high-resolution AX confocal acquisition, enables us to investigate the same biological process across multiple scales.

In what ways had the ECLIPSE Ji with AX Confocal improved your workflow or the quality of your results compared to previous systems you have used? 

Can you provide an example of an experiment where this system allowed you to capture details you couldn’t see before?

The ECLIPSE Ji-AX has significantly accelerated and streamlined our workflow. Its automation, combined with high-performance confocal imaging, allows us to move from sample to results much faster while maintaining excellent image quality. For example, when studying breast tumor spheroids, we can now resolve the organization of the actin cortex and detect subtle cytoskeletal rearrangements during deformation or confined migration—details that were very difficult to capture with our previous systems. This represents a major advance for linking mechanical forces to structural changes within cells.

What feedback have you received from your team or collaborators about the ECLIPSE Ji?

The feedback has been extremely positive. Everyone in the lab appreciates how intuitive and accessible the Ji is, even new PhD students can generate publication-quality images after minimal training. Our collaborators have also been impressed by the speed, reproducibility, and consistency of the results, particularly for comparative studies on 2D cultures, spheroids and organoids. Overall, the Ji has quickly become one of the most widely used instruments in our imaging facility.

Please tell us about your future goals and outlook.

One of our goals is to develop a predictive framework for mechanical memory in 3D tumor spheroids and organoids. We aim to understand how curvature, confinement, and mechanical stress dynamically reorganize the cytoskeleton and nucleus, and how these changes bias invasive behavior. By combining rapid epifluorescence screening with high-resolution confocal imaging on the ECLIPSE Ji-AX, we can directly link tissue-scale architecture to single-cell mechanical states within the same spheroids. In the coming years, we aim to establish 3D tumor models as quantitative platforms to investigate how mechanical history drives breast cancer dissemination.