Berthold Technologies has always sought to work in close collaboration with the scientific community. This helps researchers get the most out of their instruments but also helps Berthold better understand the needs of customers and extend its capabilities and expertise.
The most recent step in the way of tightening the bonds between instrument manufacturers and scientists, Berthold Technologies has signed a cooperation agreement with the Department of Molecular Cell Biology, led by Prof. Dr Peter Nick, at the Joseph Gottlieb Kölreuter Institute for Plant Sciences, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). The lab works on cellular aspects of plant development, plant adaptation to stress, mechanisms of plant speciation and the valorisation of these topics for applications in the fields of biotechnology, sustainable agriculture, and food security.
As part of the cooperation, the laboratory will be provided with a NightSHADE evo In Vivo Plant Imaging System from Berthold Technologies. This instrument is a modular, easy-to-use optical imaging system dedicated to the in vivo analysis of plants. Equipped with a light-tight cabinet and a cooled CCD camera it enables sensitive luminescence and fluorescence monitoring in tissues, seedlings, and whole plants. It can simulate key environmental conditions like temperature and daylight, which makes it a precious tool for a broad range of applications, including circadian rhythm research, protein-protein interaction, stress and pathogen monitoring, and more. The lab intends to use the NightSHADE evo for non-invasive imaging and tracking of gene expression, growth, and abiotic and biotic stress responses in plant tissues, seedlings, and whole plants. The system will be very helpful in identifying transgenic calli and plants expressing proteins with fluorescent tags. Moreover, its ability to measure chlorophyll autofluorescence will be applied in the large-scale screening of genotypes for abiotic and biotic stress tolerance. The NightSHADE evo can also detect luminescence, which enables it to monitor gene expression and perform protein interaction assays that rely on luminescence.
Collaboration is about bringing the right people together to work on challenging and meaningful topics. Berthold Technologies is keen to invest in such relationships to grow together with its partners.