Congratulations to the successful project in the COMULISglobe international access call

At the end of 2024, Euro-BioImaging ran a successful international user access call within the framework of the COMULISglobe project, funded by the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI). Researchers from around the world could apply for support for research projects combining at least two imaging technologies in a correlative, multimodal imaging project. In this article, learn more about the successful project, which links a researcher in Mexico to a Euro-BioImaging facility in Barcelona and a collaborator in Argentina.

The COMULISglobe International Access Call was very successful, with project proposals received from South America, the Middle East, and South East Asia. The project proposals covered a wide range of different combinations of imaging technologies and research areas, ranging from combinations of multiple medical imaging technologies to MassSpec Imaging and Light Microscopy, and CLEM projects. 

In a highly competitive selection, one project was selected for funding support. The COMULISglobe international access funding was awarded to Dr. Haydee O. Hernández, a postdoctoral researcher at LNMA-UNAM, Mexico, for her project combining label-free and fluorescence methods for the analysis of sperm motility in 3D+t (three dimensions plus time).

Dr. Hernández specializes in the application of advanced optical microscopy and artificial intelligence for biomedical imaging. Her research focuses on developing computational tools to analyze the motility and biomechanics of flagellated cells, with particular emphasis on human spermatozoa. The awarded project will leverage Lightsheet Fluorescence Microscopy (LSFM) and elastic scattering imaging to obtain a high-resolution, label-free characterization of sperm motility, enabling the first simultaneous visualization of multiple freely swimming sperm cells in 3D.

As part of this project, Haydee will visit the facility of Dr. Pablo Loza at ICFO, part of the Mesoscopic Imaging Node in Barcelona, where she will receive expert support in advanced optical imaging and image data analysis. The collaboration will provide access to cutting-edge instrumentation and computational tools necessary to process large-scale 3D+t imaging datasets.

Additionally, the project is being developed in collaboration with Dr. Mariano Buffone from IBYME, Argentina, an expert in reproductive biology and sperm physiology. This interdisciplinary collaboration will ensure that the imaging and AI-based analyses are aligned with key physiological parameters, enhancing the translational impact of the research.

When I first read about the COMULISglobe call-for-proposals in the Latin America Bioimaging newsletter, I immediately saw how it could be a turning point for my research. My work focuses on sperm motility—a fundamental yet still poorly understood aspect of fertility. Traditional clinical methods rely on 2D analysis of sperm head trajectories, often failing to provide meaningful diagnostic insights. But this is no surprise: the true driving force behind sperm movement is the flagellum, not the head, and fertilization occurs in a complex 3D space that remains largely unexplored in clinical settings.

This grant allows us to break past these limitations by combining cutting-edge elastic scattering and fluorescence imaging to visualize, for the first time, multiple free-swimming sperm in 3D+t with unprecedented temporal resolution. These experiments will be conducted on state-of-the-art microscopes at ICFO in the laboratory of Dr. Pablo Loza, leveraging a truly unique imaging infrastructure that makes this work possible.

But innovation is only meaningful if it reaches those who need it most. That’s why this project is deeply translational: we are collaborating with a local fertility clinic to explore how our insights could translate into new diagnostic tools for male fertility assessment. I am incredibly grateful to COMULISglobe for believing in this vision and supporting the early-stage research that could redefine how we assess and understand sperm function

• Dr. Haydee Hernández

COMULISglobe, including this call, is funded by the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI). To stay up to date about opportunities from COMULISglobe, join the COMULISglobe Society.

We thank Global BioImaging for the outreach around the call to spread the word about this opportunity. Researchers from low- and middle-income countries are encouraged to check out the Global BioImaging imaging4All program which can provide support for access to Euro-BioImaging Nodes’ technology and expertise.