In celebration of University Research Week (October 20-24), the UNC School of Medicine is proud to announce the winners of the 2025 "Art in Science" competition. This year's theme, "UNC Research is North Carolina," inspired stunning visual representations of biomedical research that reflect both scientific innovation and artistic beauty. We would like to extend congratulations to the laboratories of Sarah Cohen, Paul Manis, and Hyejung Won for submitting the winning images!
The winning images will be on display in Bondurant Hall from October 20-24.
"Cracking the Secret Stem Cell Highways Behind Alzheimer's Disease" was submitted by Chih-Hsuan Hsu and Dr. Sarah Cohen from the Department of Cell Biology and Physiology. This confocal image reveals the intricate microtubule network within human induced pluripotent stem cells carrying the APOE4 variant, a major genetic risk factor for late-onset Alzheimer's disease. Immunostaining highlights the "tubulin code" with magenta, cyan, green, and yellow markers, offering a glimpse into how genetic variants shape cellular architecture and function.
"When the Stars of Sound Slowly Fade: Fusiform Cell Changes with Age-Related Hearing Loss" was submitted by Reginald Edwards and Dr. Paul Manis from the Department of Cell Biology and Physiology. This pseudocolored image captures a fusiform cell from the dorsal cochlear nucleus of a 216-day-old mouse. The cell was electrophysiologically recorded and injected with Lucifer-yellow dye before imaging. The image illustrates how aging affects auditory neurons, contributing to age-related hearing loss and revealing mechanisms that help preserve hearing over time. Image taken at the Neuroscience Microscopy Core (NMC).
"Neuronal Constellations: Imaging Human Neurons Derived from Stem Cells" was submitted by Alejandro Gomez, Ariana La Rosa, and Dr. Hyejung Won from the Department of Genetics. This immunofluorescence image showcases excitatory neurons differentiated from human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs). Stained for βIII-tubulin (green) and SATB2 (red), with DAPI (blue) marking nuclei, the image reflects the complexity of neuropsychiatric genetics and the beauty of human neuronal development.
Congratulations to all the winners and participants for their contributions to this year's celebration of science and art at UNC!
