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Researcher Elisa Balducci from the IBMB-CSIC wins the 5th edition of «Fotorecerca»

By 18 de December de 2012November 18th, 2020No Comments
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The images winners: «Trapezists of the brain': metamorphosis of radial glia» (left) and «Crescent moon» (right).
 18.12.2012

Researcher Elisa Balducci from the IBMB-CSIC wins the 5th edition of «Fotorecerca»

The jury's decision of the 5th edition of «Fotorecerca» award, the scientific photography contest that the Parc Científic de Barcelona (PCB) holds each year to show, through an artistic perspective, the research being carried out, was announced today. This year, the winners were two post-doctoral researchers from the Institute of Molecular Biology (IBMB-CSIC): Elisa Balducci, who won the first prize for her image «Trapezists of the brain: 'metamorphosis' of radial glia» and Maria Marsal, who won the second prize for «Crescent moon» The awards ceremony has taken place today, Tuesday, December 18, at 13:00 am at the joining point of Towers R+D+I during the cava cocktail that will be offered by PCB to mark the Christmas celebrations.


«Trapezists of the Brain: ‘metamorphosis’ of radial glia», the wining photograph of the first prize –a Coolpix S6400 Nikon digital camera– shows a shows a postnatal cortex. The development of the brain of all vertebrates arises from stem cells, called ‘radial glial cells’ which give rise to all neurons in the brain and, once they have fulfilled their mission, they disappear. The photograph shows how newly generated neurons ‘climb up’ and then descend down radial glial cells. Prolongations leaving the proliferative zone (bottom of image) are characteristic of glial cells which help guide migrant neurons to their correct position. When all neurons are generated and the cortical architecture is formed, radial glial cells retract their extensions, lose contact with the proliferative area and mature giving rise astrocytes, the most numerous cells of the nervous system, characterized by their morphological star-shaped projections. The photograph was obtained with a confocal microscope (Leica TCS-SP5) using a 20x lense.

«Crescent moon», the winning image of the best second prize, a photography book ‘A Day in the World’, a portrait of humanity in 1000 pictures published by Blume, with an introduction by Desmond Tutu-, shows a zebrafish embryo 24 hours after fertilization of the egg. It is a projection of confocal microscopy of a fixed embryo that expresses GFP (Green Fluorescent Protein) in the membranes of all its cells, stained with DAPI (a fluorescent dye that marks nuclei in blue) and faloidine conjugated with TRITC (Tetramethyl Rhodamine Isothiocyanate), which marks actin in red.

Twenty seven images were presented at the contest, which were taken by personnel associated with research institutes, companies, technological platforms and other institutions located at the Barcelona Science Park. The choice of winners was undertaken a multidisciplinary panel composed of institutional representatives from the PCB and specialists in science communication, graphic design and photography, which praised originality, artistic and technical quality, visual impact and scientific content of the works presented.

In addition to the winners, the six finalists were: “Maraña” by Ana Mendes; “I am seeing you…” by Anna Maria Serafin; “Relieve” by Ana Mendes and Helena Azevedo;” Entrecruzados II ” by Esther Tejada-Montes and Alvaro Mata. All photos can be viewed through the plasma screens located at the receptions halls at the Cluster and Torres R & D buildings.