MBF Bioscience

Overview

The company was founded as MicroBrightField, Inc. in 1988 by the father and son team of Dr. Edmund Glaser and Jack Glaser. Their goal was to develop neuroanatomical imaging software for the research community. The company changed its name to MBF Bioscience in 2004. The products offer quantitative imaging software for stereology, neuron reconstruction, image analysis, and are integrated with the world’s leading microscope systems. Specializing in neuroscience research, their products are used in a variety of fields including stem cell research, neuroanatomical studies, lung, kidney, reproductive, cardiac and toxicology research.

Awards

Offices

Products

Neurolucida (1988), software for 3D neuron tracing and analysis and 3D brain mapping. Its 3D visualization capabilities allow researchers to view, rotate and create videos of neuron reconstructions. The system works with brightfield, widefield, fluorescence and confocal microscopes, image stacks, or virtual slides. It is the most-cited neuron tracing and analysis system.

AutoNeuron (2004), an extension module for Neurolucida, automatically traces neurons from image stacks. Researchers can reconstruct neurons in 2D and 3D much faster with AutoNeuron than with manual tracing techniques. Its algorithm, which was developed over 10 years, rapidly explores the entire image volume and identifies neuronal processes and somas. It models neuronal trees as branching structures, complete with branch points, roots, and endings. Diameters of the axons and dendrites are automatically detected, and results can be transferred directly into an Excel spreadsheet.

Stereo Investigator (1996) is recognized as the world’s leading system for unbiased stereology . It gives researchers estimates of the number, length, area, and volume of biological structures in a tissue specimen. The system works with brightfield, widefield, fluorescence and confocal microscopes, or image stacks that are suitable for stereology.

Biolucida Cloud (2010) is software that turns computer into a microscope. Microscope images (including confocal image stacks, and 2D and 3D virtual slides) can be viewed, shared, and analyzed with research colleagues, collaborators, or students in a histology or pathology course over the internet. Biolucida Cloud integrates with learning management software such as Blackboard, Moodle, and Sakai for use in medical education.

WormLab (2011) is software that tracks and analyzes C. elegans and other nematodes. A single worm or multiple worms can be analyzed through entanglements and omega bends. It gives researchers a wide variety of accurate and precise analyses about C. elegans locomotion, including position, head bending angle, speed, direction, and wavelength.

Densita (2008) allows researchers to analyze autoradiography and optical density. It calculates ROD (relative optical density), luminance, concentration, the area of region of interest, ligand concentration, and the amount of radioactivity. Densita can acquire new images and it can work with previously saved images and MCID files.

Neurolucida 360 (2015) helps researchers obtain reliable data about the size, shape, and complexity of neurons from image stacks and virtual slides. It makes 3D neuron reconstruction much faster and provides a staggering amount of accurate, reliable data.

BrainMaker (releasing in Spring 2015) helps to create unprecedented 3D high-resolution reconstructions from serial sections imaged with whole slide scanners and research microscopes. BrainMaker automatically detects the individual sections on each slide, and then aligns the sections to create and visualize the full 3D image reconstruction.

Microlucida (2010)

Lucivid

Laboratory

MBF Labs