Biology subjects

Moarefian, M.

Publications and source records attributed to Moarefian, M..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2026

A Modular In-Incubator Microscope for Longitudinal Live Cell Microscopy

Longitudinal live cell imaging is valuable for characterizing dynamic morphological and phenotypic changes in biological systems. However, conventional approaches rely on manual microscope operation, which is labor-intensive, limits imaging frequency, and disrupts the cellular environment. These constraints reduce scalability, increase experimental variability, and restrict both the duration and temporal resolution of continuous imaging. Although automated imaging platforms partially address these limitations, existing solutions are often constrained by the cost, footprint, and inflexibility of in-incubator microscopes or stage-top incubators. Here, we present an automated in-incubator epifluorescence microscope designed for long-term operation. The system features a modular architecture with optional multi-fluorescence imaging, automated plate scanning, configurable light sources, and compatibility with multiple plate formats, including integration with fluidic automation devices. By positioning the light sources and control electronics outside the incubator, the platform improves thermal stability and long-term operational reliability. This approach enables continuous, high-frequency imaging over extended durations, providing a source of rich data for quantifying time-dependent tissue phenotypes, morphological remodeling, and transient biological processes.

bioengineering↗

bioRxiv2025

Incubator-Free Organoid Culture in a Sealed Recirculatory System

Discovery in human biology is pivoting toward high-dimensional computational analysis of 3D in vitro models, but this progress is limited by reliance on conventional cell culture techniques. Realism and data collection are hindered by the environmental instabilities and accessibility constraints of standard incubators. We introduce an automated, sealed recirculatory system that eliminates these barriers, enabling unconstrained instrument integration and infrastructure-independent scalability. By employing gas-tight sealing, a liquid-phase gas buffer and a non-porous plastic gas exchanger, our technology maintains biological stability without the compromises of open-air vessels. This design eliminates the need for CO2 incubators and prevents the evaporative drift that typically plagues conventional open-culture vessels. Operating on the benchtop outside the cell culture suite, we demonstrate that our system supports continuous, multi-week live imaging of vascular organoids while maintaining metabolic viability, structural fidelity and electrophysiological activity in brain organoids comparable to traditional in-incubator cultures. TeaserA sealed benchtop device enables data-rich organoid culture beyond the constraints of the cell culture laboratory.

bioengineering↗

bioRxiv2024

Calcium dynamics tune developmental tempo to generate evolutionarily divergent axon tract lengths

The human brain has undergone an evolutionary expansion in size, both in terms of cell numbers and the size of cellular structures, including axon tracts. Human brain development also progresses slowly and takes particularly long. However, the functional relevance of slowed timing, and whether it is responsible for these changes in size, remains unknown. Here, we investigate this by studying axon tract development in human and mouse brain organoids. We demonstrate that human axon tracts grow [~]2x more slowly than those of mice, reflecting their slowed tempo, but that this actually leads to shorter human axons, not longer. To overcome the effect of slowed tempo, human axons have a more prolonged growth duration that enables them to project farther despite their slower growth rate. Using a combination of single-cell RNA sequencing and live imaging, we demonstrate that the prolonged duration involves a different mechanism to that controlling tempo and is driven by calcium dynamics. Human axons exhibit a reduced calcium influx compared to mouse, mediated by L-Type voltage-gated calcium channels. Stimulating this calcium influx in human neurons triggers earlier cessation of growth, leading to shorter axon tracts similar to those of mouse. We further show that increasing calcium speeds up the transition to the synaptogenesis stage. Thus, calcium regulation sets the timing of transitions to disproportionately extend developmental duration, thereby enabling evolutionary expansion of human neurons.

developmental biology↗