Danforth Center Awarded NSF Grant to Expand Advanced Plant Bioimaging

New state-of-the-art microscope will advance plant research and scientific training across the region 

ST. LOUIS, MO (September 16, 2026) — The Donald Danforth Plant Science Center received earlier this year a $783,491 grant from the US National Science Foundation (NSF) to acquire a state-of-the-art confocal microscope that will help scientists observe plant cells and tissues with greater speed, sensitivity, and detail. Tessa Burch-Smith, PhD, director of research for food security is principal investigator on the grant. Kirk Czymmek, PhD, head of Core Facilities and director of Advanced Bioimaging Laboratory, is the co-PI. The grant comes as the NSF is on track to make its lowest number of awards in more than fifty years, according to the website Grant Witness.

The ZEISS LSM 980 with Airyscan 2 is housed in the Danforth Center’s Advanced Bioimaging Laboratory, a core research facility serving 31 Danforth Center principal investigators as well as researchers from universities, schools, and agricultural biotechnology companies throughout the region. Installation and training have already been completed, and the system is now online.  

The new system will allow scientists to examine how plant cells grow, develop, communicate, and respond to environmental stress, microbes, and disease. Its advanced imaging capabilities will immediately support 22 funded research projects led by 12 investigators at the Danforth Center and collaborating institutions, including the University of Missouri–St. Louis, the University of Missouri–Columbia, and the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. 

“This investment ensures that the Danforth Center continues to lead at the frontiers of plant imaging,” said Czymmek. “Our Advanced Bioimaging Laboratory is among the world’s most advanced and innovative plant-focused imaging facilities. This new technology will give scientists capabilities they have not had before, opening new avenues of discovery while strengthening an exceptional regional and national resource.” 

The new microscope will replace an older system and significantly expand capabilities. In addition to increasing access and capacity, it will introduce new tools for spectral, high-resolution and high-speed imaging, automated experiments, and the study of molecular activity within living cells. 

“Plant pathogens are extraordinarily small, but the damage they cause can spread quickly through a crop,” said Burch-Smith. “To stop that spread, we need the right tools to understand how viruses move from cell to cell and how plants defend themselves. This technology will allow us to observe those processes with far greater detail, advancing research that can protect crops and strengthen food security.” 

The technology will support research into plant diseases, plant-microbe interactions, heat and environmental stress, antimicrobial peptides, cell growth, nuclear structure, and the movement and location of RNA, carbohydrates, and proteins within plant and algal tissues. 

“Scientific breakthroughs depend on giving talented people access to the most advanced tools,” said Giles Oldroyd, PhD, president of the Danforth Center. “By helping us see more clearly how plants function and respond to the world around them, this technology will accelerate discoveries that can improve crops, strengthen food security, and contribute to a more sustainable future.” 

The NSF award will also expand opportunities for scientific training. Undergraduate and graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, high school interns, and educators will gain experience with imaging technologies that are increasingly important across plant science and related fields. The Danforth Center will also develop a hybrid laboratory and lecture series on advanced confocal imaging in plants, with recorded lectures shared with the broader plant science community.