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Quartz Imaging Corporation

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Quartz Imaging Corporation

Quartz Imaging provides software and systems to microscopy and failure analysis labs. Measuring, annotating, processing, reporting, archiving solutions.

Quartz Imaging has more than 2,000 customers in 36 countries utilizing our industry leading solutions for Digital Image Acquisition and Processing for most image producing instruments including SEMs, TEMs, STEMs, Tabletop SEMs, Cameras, PC Based Instruments, Scanners (PCI Lab and PCI Office); 21 CFR Part 11 Compliance (PCI/CFR); Laboratory Information Management Systems (LIMS); Failure Analysis La

boratory Information Management Systems (FA-LIMS); Web-based Instrument Booking and Instrument Access Control (Gatekeeper); Instrument Remote Control; Automated Inspection Systems for Nanotechnology; X-ray Microanalysis (EDX/EDS) Systems (XOne and ON-X) and more. Specialties
microscope image acquisition & processing, image measurement, laboratory information management systems (LIMS), x-ray microanalysis (edx/eds), 21 CFR Part 11 compliance for microscopes.

08/12/2026

Unraveling a 160-Year-Old Puzzle in Parasitic Plant Identification

Cuscuta, commonly known as dodder, is a leafless parasitic plant with no roots or foliage to rely on for identification.
That leaves flowers, fruit, and inflorescences as the primary tools for telling its roughly 200 species apart.
Researchers have used inflorescence structure in Cuscuta species descriptions since 1859. Yet until recently, no comprehensive study had ever mapped out that diversity across the genus.

The Obstacle:
Cuscuta inflorescences are notoriously difficult to classify. Historical descriptions borrowed racemose terms like "umbelliform" or "paniculiform" to approximate branching patterns that are, in reality, monochasial cymes. The result was decades of inconsistent terminology.

The Solution:
A research team at Wilfrid Laurier University examined 132 Cuscuta taxa using herbarium specimens, and grew eight living species to study inflorescence development firsthand. Using scanning electron microscopy, the team relied on Quartz PCI for character scoring and precise measurements of inflorescence structures.
This work identified three major architectural types across the genus: "Monogynella," "Cuscuta," and "Grammica," each tracing back to a shared fundamental unit, the scorpioid monochasial cyme.

The Humanity:
Several Cuscuta species are aggressive agricultural weeds, capable of devastating crops and persisting in soil for decades. Clearer identification tools support better biodiversity management and more effective control strategies for growers and researchers alike.
Sometimes the smallest structural details carry the biggest implications for how we manage the natural world around us.

All rights for the excerpts and images remain with the author and the full thesis is found here: https://scholars.wlu.ca/etd/2502
Glofcheskie, Morgan, "Diversity and Evolution of Inflorescences in Cuscuta" (2022). Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive). 2502.

Thank you for mentioning Quartz Imaging in the paper and congratulations on publishing!
Learn more about Quartz Imaging products at www.quartzimaging.com

08/05/2026

The Hidden Parasites Inside the Ocean's Most Important Plants.

Seagrasses are among the planet's quiet workhorses. They form vast underwater meadows that shelter marine life, protect coastlines, and store carbon far more efficiently than forests on land. Yet we still know surprisingly little about the microscopic organisms that live inside them.

The Obstacle:

A little-studied group of parasites called phytomyxids infects seagrasses, forming small galls, or swellings, on the plants. Their land-based relatives are notorious, causing clubroot in cabbage crops and powdery scab in potatoes, costing farmers millions each season. But their marine cousins have remained largely invisible to science, their diversity and distribution almost entirely unmapped.

The Solution:

A team led from the University of Victoria, here in British Columbia, working with collaborators in Thailand and Puerto Rico, set out to change that. Combining DNA sequencing with detailed microscopy, they examined infected seagrasses from opposite sides of the globe. To document the parasite's structure, they used scanning electron microscopy on a Hitachi S-3500N, with images acquired through Quartz PCI, revealing the fine surface detail of the parasite's resting spores.

The result: a brand-new parasite species, discovered in a vulnerable Thai seagrass and named Marinomyxa denhartogi. The name honours the late Cornelis den Hartog, the Dutch botanist who first spotted the organism in 1996 and personally provided the specimens that made this study possible. The team also confirmed a new host in the Caribbean and traced the parasite's DNA as far as the remote South Pacific.

The Humanity:

Seagrass meadows are under mounting pressure from climate change, coastal development, and invasive species. Understanding the hidden parasites that live within them, how they spread and which plants they affect, is part of learning how to protect these ecosystems before they decline. As the authors argue, recognising the role of these overlooked organisms will matter more and more for predicting and managing seagrass health.

Some of the most important life on Earth is also the least seen. Making it visible is where protection begins.

All rights for the excerpts and images remain with the authors and the full article is found here: https://doi.org/10.1111/ppa.70202

Kolátková, V., Rattanachot, E., Dieppa, A., & Gawryluk, R. M. R. (2026). First report of Marinomyxa spp. (Rhizaria: Endomyxa: Phytomyxea) infection in seagrasses Halophila beccarii and Halophila decipiens: Supporting evidence for a long-standing symbiosis. Plant Pathology.

Thank you for mentioning Quartz Imaging in the paper and congratulations on publishing!

Learn more at www.quartzimaging.com

# Environment

06/24/2026

How Your Immune Cells Decide What to Swallow, and What It Could Teach Us About Disease.

Every day, your immune cells engulf threats, dead cells, debris, and invading microbes, in a process called phagocytosis. It is one of the oldest defences we have. Yet exactly how a macrophage reaches out and pulls a target inward is still only partly understood.

The Obstacle:
Phagocytosis is driven by F-actin, the protein scaffolding that lets a cell wrap membrane arms around a particle. But the role of microtubules, the cell's other structural network, and the proteins guiding them, has been far less clear.

The Solution:
Researchers at the University of Toronto Scarborough, publishing in Molecular Biology of the Cell, studied ninein, a protein known for organising microtubules, to learn what it does during phagocytosis.
To capture the surface architecture of the process, the team used scanning electron microscopy on a Hitachi S530, with images acquired through Quartz PCI software. The micrographs made the defect strikingly visible: where healthy cells wrapped membrane arms tightly around their targets, ninein-depleted cells left many particles bare.

The result:
Ninein is needed right at the first step, the moment of particle engagement, where it drives early F-actin recruitment and forms the cup that begins engulfment. It also helps assemble the dynein motor machinery that draws the captured particle inward.

The Humanity:
Phagocytosis sits at the centre of how we fight infection, clear dying cells, and regulate inflammation. When it falters, the effects reach into immune deficiency, chronic inflammation, and how tumours evade the immune system. Mapping the proteins that govern the first seconds of engulfment is how researchers learn to one day tune that response.
The smallest movements inside a single cell, made visible, are where that understanding begins.

All rights for the excerpts and images remain with the authors and the full article is found here: https://lnkd.in/gTp-y_vR

Omer, S., Li, J., Yang, C. X., & Harrison, R. E. (2024). Ninein promotes F-actin cup formation and inward phagosome movement during phagocytosis in macrophages. Molecular Biology of the Cell. https://lnkd.in/gTp-y_vR

Thank you for mentioning Quartz Imaging in the paper and congratulations on publishing!
Learn more at www.quartzimaging.com

06/17/2026

A New Species Was Just Discovered — Hidden Inside a Vulnerable Seagrass in Southeast Asia.

Seagrasses are among the most important ecosystems on the planet.

They shelter juvenile fish, sequester carbon, and stabilize coastlines. Yet the microscopic threats living inside them remain largely uncharted.

A research team led by Viktorie Kolátková at the University of Victoria set out to change that.

The Obstacle:
The genus Marinomyxa consists of obligate intracellular parasitic protists known to infect tropical seagrasses of the genus Halophila. Until now, only two species had been formally described. But mounting evidence suggested the diversity of these parasites was far greater than morphology alone could reveal.

The Solution:
The team combined molecular sequencing, phylogenetic analysis, and microscopy to investigate Marinomyxa infections across multiple Halophila species and geographies, from Thailand and the Philippines to Puerto Rico and New Caledonia. Scanning electron microscopy was performed using a Hitachi S-3500N SEM, with Quartz PCI software used for image acquisition. The SEM micrographs provided critical visual confirmation of the characteristic cell-wall protuberances on resting spores, a defining feature used to identify and differentiate Marinomyxa species.

The findings revealed two significant discoveries. First, a previously undescribed parasite in the vulnerable intertidal seagrass Halophila beccarii from Southeast Asia, now formally named Marinomyxa denhartogi sp. nov. in honour of the late Dutch botanist Cornelis den Hartog, who first observed the organism in 1996. Second, the cosmopolitan seagrass Halophila decipiens from Puerto Rico was confirmed as an additional host of Marinomyxa halophilae, extending the known range of this parasite well beyond the Indo-Pacific.

The Humanity:
Seagrass ecosystems are under mounting pressure from climate change, biological invasions, and coastal development. Understanding the parasites that live within them is not an academic exercise. It is a prerequisite for predicting how these ecosystems will respond as conditions change, and for protecting the communities and species that depend on them.

All rights for the excerpts and images remain with the authors and the full article is found here: https://doi.org/10.1111/ppa.70202

Kolátková, V., Rattanachot, E., Dieppa, A., & Gawryluk, R.M.R. (2026). First report of Marinomyxa spp. (Rhizaria: Endomyxa: Phytomyxea) infection in seagrasses Halophila beccarii and Halophila decipiens: Supporting evidence for a long-standing symbiosis. Plant Pathology. https://doi.org/10.1111/ppa.70202

Thank you for mentioning Quartz Imaging in the paper and congratulations on publishing!

Learn more about Quartz Imaging products at www.quartzimaging.com

06/10/2026

Healthier Animals, Fewer Antibiotics. Science Is Showing Us How.

Weaning is one of the most stressful transitions a young animal faces.

The rumen is still developing. The immune system is under pressure. And in commercial livestock production, the traditional response has been antibiotics, which work, but at a cost to the animal's microbial balance and long-term health.

Researchers at the Gansu Academy of Agricultural Sciences and Gansu Agricultural University set out to find a better path.

The Obstacle:
Young Hu sheep transitioning off maternal milk need support for rumen development and immune function. The question was whether a natural probiotic could deliver that support reliably, at the right dose, over time.

The Solution:
The team fed 45 weaned male lambs one of three diets for 60 days: a standard basal diet, or the same diet supplemented with Bacillus subtilis at either 100 mg/kg or 200 mg/kg. Rumen tissue was collected at 30 and 60 days and examined using a FEI Quanta 200 scanning electron microscope. Quartz PCI 10.0 was used to acquire and analyze the SEM images, capturing structural changes in the rumen epithelial tissue across treatment groups.

The Humanity:
The results were clear. Both supplementation groups showed taller rumen papillae, higher total volatile fatty acid production, and reduced inflammatory markers compared to the control.

After 60 days, the 100 mg/kg dose proved optimal, sustaining the structural and immune benefits without the microbiome disruption seen at higher doses.

Better rumen development means more efficient feed conversion. A stronger immune system means healthier animals with less reliance on antibiotics. That matters for farmers, for food systems, and for the animals themselves.

All rights for the excerpts and images remain with the authors and the full article is found here: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-026-47065-w

Zhao, H., Liu, L., Wang, Z., Sha, Y., & Song, S. (2026). Dietary Bacillus subtilis modulates rumen epithelial barrier function and immune responses in weaned Hu sheep. Scientific Reports, 16, 17089. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-47065-w

Thank you for mentioning Quartz Imaging in the paper and congratulations on publishing!

Learn more about Quartz Imaging products at www.quartzimaging.com

06/04/2026

The Imaging Audit Newsletter:

A lot of regulated labs know they have imaging compliance gaps. Fewer know the right order in which to fix them.

Season 2, Issue 1 of The Imaging Audit is now live on LinkedIn, and Issue 1 addresses exactly that: the sequencing mistake that makes compliance remediation harder than it needs to be, and how to avoid it.

The newsletter is free, publishes weekly, and is written for anyone working with microscopy imaging in a regulated pharmaceutical, biotech, or analytical lab environment.

Follow it on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/the-imaging-audit-7457117211351207936/

06/03/2026

Protecting the Strawberry Fields of British Columbia: One Tiny Weevil at a Time.

A destructive pest arrived in southwestern British Columbia in 2019.

The strawberry blossom weevil (Anthonomus rubi) cuts flower buds from their stems before they can bloom, causing serious damage to strawberry and other berry crops in the Rosaceae family.

The problem:
It arrived without the natural enemies that keep its populations in check in Europe, its native range.

That is the obstacle growers and researchers are still working to solve.

Jade Sherwood, through the University of British Columbia's Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, took a systematic approach.

Working with collaborators from the EU-based Centre for Agriculture and Biosciences International (CABI), the research surveyed the weevil across 12 European countries to identify parasitoid species that naturally control it.

The result:
12 parasitoid species identified, including seven not previously recorded as being associated with A. rubi.

To document the weevil's morphology with precision, the team used a Hitachi S-2500 scanning electron microscope, with Quartz PCI software handling image acquisition, measurement, and annotation.

SEM images were captured at magnifications of 70x to 110x at 10kV, producing the high-resolution reference data needed to accurately measure and compare specimens across pronotum, rostrum, and tibia structures.

In the introduced range of BC, the research also found that larger strawberry buds produce larger, likely fitter weevils, a finding with direct practical implications for how future biocontrol agents should be reared and deployed.

This is the groundwork that makes targeted, chemical-free pest management possible: protecting the berry crops that farmers and communities in BC depend on.

All rights for the excerpts and images remain with the authors and the full thesis is found here: https://dx.doi.org/10.14288/1.0448756
Sherwood, J. (2025).

Native range surveys for natural enemies of Anthonomus rubi and effects of host plant bud size in the introduced range [Master's thesis, University of British Columbia]. UBC cIRcle.

Thank you for mentioning Quartz Imaging in the thesis and congratulations on completing your Master of Science, Jade!

Learn more about Quartz Imaging products at www.quartzimaging.com

05/27/2026

What if the key to unlocking cancer immunotherapy was already living inside you?

Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Immunotherapy has changed the game, but too many patients still do not respond. Scientists have long suspected gut bacteria play a role. Now, there is evidence of exactly how.

A research team publishing in Nature Communications identified that tiny nano-sized vesicles shed by Bifidobacterium, a common gut commensal, can travel from the intestine, cross tissue barriers, and accumulate directly inside lung tumors.
Once there, they prime tumor cells to express more PD-L1. That makes the cancer more visible, and more vulnerable, to anti-PD-1 immunotherapy.

In mouse models, combining these vesicles with anti-PD-1 significantly reduced tumor growth, increased tumor-infiltrating CD8+ T cells, and shifted the tumor immune environment toward an anti-cancer state.

To map exactly where and how this was happening inside tumor tissue, the team turned to spatial profiling using the NanoString GeoMx Digital Spatial Profiling instrument, with image analysis supported by Quartz PCI.

The result: a measurable, spatially resolved picture of PD-L1 upregulation and immune cell infiltration across treatment groups.

The gut-lung axis is no longer a hypothesis. It is a potential therapeutic target, and imaging made it visible.

________________________________________
All rights for the excerpts and images remain with the authors and the full article is found here: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-58553-4
Preet, R., Islam, M.A., Shim, J. et al. Gut commensal Bifidobacterium-derived extracellular vesicles modulate the therapeutic effects of anti-PD-1 in lung cancer. Nature Communications 16, 3500 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-58553-4

Thank you for mentioning Quartz Imaging in the paper and congratulations on publishing!

Learn more about Quartz Imaging products at www.quartzimaging.com

05/20/2026

Clean water is not a luxury. It is a right. And science is finding new ways to protect it.

Synthetic dyes from industrial processes are among the most persistent and harmful contaminants in our water systems.

Conventional treatment methods struggle to break them down.

A research team at the University of Cagliari set out to change that.

They developed nanocomposites using a simple, sustainable ingredient: an extract from the microalgae Chlorella vulgaris.

No hazardous chemicals. No energy-intensive processes.

The result was a photocatalytic material capable of breaking down Congo Red, a toxic industrial dye, using UV light.

To characterize the material at the nanoscale, the team used Quartz PCI to process their SEM micrographs, capturing the hierarchical structure of the nanocomposites with precision.

The findings: up to 49% dye removal in 180 minutes, at a low catalyst loading, with performance that held steady across varying light intensities.

That last point matters. It means the system does not need to be pushed harder to work. It is already operating efficiently.

Cleaner water, greener chemistry, and a more rational use of energy. That is the direction this research points.

All rights for the excerpts and images remain with the authors and the full article is found here: https://doi.org/10.3390/su18094607

Zedda, F., Atzori, F., Casu, S., Sidorowicz, A., Fais, G., Desogus, F., Licheri, R., Porcu, S., Cao, G., Lutzu, G.A., & Concas, A. (2026). Green-Synthesized Ag/Zn Nanocomposites from Chlorella vulgaris Polar Extract: Sustainable Photocatalytic Water Remediation and Kinetic Modeling. Sustainability, 18, 4607.

Thank you for mentioning Quartz Imaging in the paper and congratulations on publishing!

Learn more about Quartz Imaging products at www.quartzimaging.com

05/14/2026

Cleaner Water for More People Could Start with Using Less to Make More

Arsenic in drinking water is a global health crisis affecting hundreds of millions of people.
Existing filtration membranes can remove it, but they are expensive and material-intensive to produce.
A research team at the University of Girona in Spain set out to change that.

Their approach was to deposit polymer inclusion membranes onto simple porous supports, such as cellulose filter paper and commercial PVDF membrane, using up to 75% less material than conventional methods.

To confirm the membranes were properly formed and structurally sound, the team used scanning electron microscopy with Quartz PCI software to evaluate surface morphology, layer uniformity, and the adhesion between the polymer phase and the porous support.

The results were compelling. The supported membranes achieved 90 to 95% arsenic transport efficiency, comparable to standard membranes, and retained around 70% efficiency after three reuse cycles.
Less material. Equal performance. Reusable.

This is the kind of innovation that makes water purification technology more accessible, more sustainable, and ultimately more equitable for communities that need it most.

All rights for the excerpts and images remain with the authors and the full article is found here: https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0375/16/4/135

Khatir N, Anticó E, Fontàs C. A Novel Supported Polymer Inclusion Membrane Concept for Reagent-Efficient Membrane Design. Membranes. 2026;16(4):135.

Thank you for mentioning Quartz Imaging in the paper and congratulations on publishing!

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