seasonal allergy
Snapshots of Life: Allergen Art
Posted on by Dr. Francis Collins
Credit: Edna, Gil, and Amit Cukierman, Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia
Seasonal allergy sufferers, allow me to take advantage of the powers of confocal microscopy to introduce you to your tormenter: pollen. Although pollen grains look amazing at this magnification, their effects on many of us are not so wonderful. These spiky spheres can trigger an immune reaction that produces the runny nose, itchy eyes, and other symptoms that make people with pollen allergies miserable from early spring through late fall.
In fact, this image was created by a seasonal allergy sufferer who also happens to be a cell biologist. On a Saturday afternoon about a decade ago, Edna Cukierman of Philadelphia’s Fox Chase Cancer Center had just received a new spinning disc confocal microscope and couldn’t wait to try it out. There was just one catch—she also had to watch her two children. Not to be deterred, this multi-tasking scientist/mom turned the process of calibrating her new microscope into a creative way of entertaining her kids.
