Images tell a powerful scientific story. This year, we asked instrument companies and scientists to share particularly striking images for our Image of the Year Award. Finalists were put to a community vote.
Congratulations to nominator Joe McKellar, Institute of Molecular Genetics of Montpellier, for his impressive entry using the ZEISS LSM980 + Airyscan 2 confocal microscope.
In his words, this image:
"captures the mechanical tension of a Mouse Embryonic Fibroblast (MEF) anchoring itself to the surface of a poly-l-lysin coated glass coverslip. The actin cytoskeleton (stained with phalloidin, orange/yellow with a grey background) forms a massive, high-tension radial ring, sending aggressive, spiky protrusions outward to grip the substrate."
Bridging the gap between science and art, this image goes to show the beauty in structural biology.
Congratulations again to Joe McKellar and ZEISS.
Credit: Joe McKellar, using ZEISS LSM980 + Airyscan 2
Other Categories
Explore the winners of the 2026 CiteAb Awards below.
Nomination-based awards
Image of the Year
Produced by Joe McKellar, using the ZEISS LSM980 + Airyscan 2 confocal microscope
Miltenyi Biotec: UltraMicroscope Blaze™
The Innovation Award
Merck PURedit® Cas9 Flexible/Precision Cytosine Base Editor kit
Vector Laboratories Glysite Explorer in situ PLA Glycan Detection Kit
Data-based awards
These awards are based on insights from the CiteAb reagent database - covering citation data for 16 million+ reagents.
Protein Supplier to Watch in Cancer Research
BPS Bioscience
ACROBiosystems
Phospho Antibody Supplier of the Year
Cell Signaling Technology
Abcam
Flow Cytometer Supplier to Watch
Beckman Coulter
Cytek Biosciences
Mass Spectrometer Supplier of the Year
Thermo Fisher Scientific
SCIEX
Growth Factor Supplier of the Year
PeproTech, part of Thermo Fisher Scientific
R&D Systems
IHC Supplier of the Year in Neuroscience
Abcam
Thermo Fisher Scientific
