The Oxford–ZEISS Centre of Excellence in Biomedical Imaging and ZEISS have entered a proof-of-principle phase to develop a cutting-edge imaging technology capable of precisely measuring how drugs behave within cells and tissues, a breakthrough that could transform drug development.
The technology, known as Selective Plane Illumination Lattice Light Sheet Microscopy (SPI LLSM), enables scientists to visualise drug interactions in three-dimensional cell models using ultrathin, non-diffracting light sheets. It was jointly patented by the Oxford–ZEISS Centre and ZEISS through Oxford University Innovation.
During the 12-month phase, the partners will work with three academic and three pharmaceutical collaborators to test the technology’s applications in drug profiling across cells, organoids, and patient-derived tissue biopsies.
Developed to address limitations in existing imaging methods such as fluorescence correlation spectroscopy, SPI LLSM offers a faster, high-resolution approach to analysing drug behaviour in biologically relevant models. The technique has already been successfully demonstrated in solution assays and cell cultures commonly used in early-stage drug discovery.
The next phase will expand its use to organoids—three-dimensional lab-grown versions of human organs—and tissue samples from the Oxford Tissue Banks, with a focus on diseases such as cancer and autoimmune conditions.
“This innovation allows us to observe drug behaviour in physiologically relevant systems in real time,” said Professor Marco Fritzsche, Scientific Director of the Oxford–ZEISS Centre. “If successful, it could transform current drug-screening technologies.”
The results of the study are expected to guide the commercialisation of the technology, with the goal of making it widely accessible for academic research and pharmaceutical development.
Launched in February 2024, the Oxford–ZEISS Centre is a partnership between the University of Oxford’s Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology and the Institute for Developmental and Regenerative Medicine, supported by ZEISS research and development.
Researchers say the technology could eventually replace conventional confocal microscopy and set a new standard for live-cell imaging.
