A section of vine wood, used in the production of Spätlese (a German white wine made from grapes harvested late in the season), is observed under autofluorescence using an InnoQuant slide scanner. The image’s title pays homage to Ed Wood’s classic film *Plan 9 from Outer Space*.
—Sample preparation: Celia Perrin, LVBE – UHA; Data acquisition: Mathilde Bouakil, Innopsys; Image reconstruction/rendering: Olivier Haeberlé and Bruno Colicchio, IRIMAS – UHA, France
One of the microscopic images taken by Célia PERRIN (research engineer at LVBE) as part of the Vineside project was selected as “Photo of the Week” by Optica on February 20, 2026, and published in the February 2026 issue of Optics & Photonics News.
- Vineside Project: This research project, funded by the University of Haute-Alsace’s VINESIDE call for proposals, aims to study anatomical changes in wood over time in two grape varieties, Gewurztraminer and Riesling, which are known for their susceptibility to vine wood diseases. This study is conducted by comparing healthy tissue with tissue infected by the pathogenic fungus Neofusicoccum parvum, which is implicated in these diseases.
These images were produced in collaboration with IRIMAS, Olivier Haeberle, and Bruno Colicchio, following their participation in Mifobio (a CNRS training program) last October.
On this occasion, Celia Perrin’s slides were used as analysis samples on the InnoQuant slide scanner (Innopsys), enabling the observation of a plant model that had never before been viewed on this equipment. The images obtained will thus be utilized by this biotechnology company to demonstrate the capabilities of its fluorescence scanner in a broader context, beyond strictly medical applications.
Another image taken during this training session did not win the FranceBioImaging contest, but it is still available online on their website!