Innovation Impact: Life's origins in lava, precision in autoimmune disease diagnostics

Welcome back to Serving Science. In this issue, journey from Icelandic caves, where researchers are using electron microscopy to uncover insights into life's origins, to the lab, where advancements in autoimmune diagnostics are transforming the speed and precision of patient care. You’ll also hear from our Chief Scientific Officer on the FDA’s guidance for New Approach Methodologies (NAMs) and meet the next generation of innovators pushing the boundaries of science.

Science in Action: Icelandic volcano caves provide insights into life’s origins  

Rogier Miltenburg will chase molten lava for his job at Thermo Fisher Scientific. And that’s not hyperbole.

Miltenburg was part of an expedition to the newly formed lava tubes, caves formed from lava that began seeping from Mount Fagradalsfjall in southern Iceland in March 2021, after eight centuries of dormancy. 

This first-of-its-kind expedition, funded by the National Geographic Society, aimed to uncover how life strategically uses subterranean environments to spread around the Earth, said Francesco Sauro, the Italian geologist and speleologist who led the expedition. The team’s research would also provide important clues to other volcanic environments that cannot be explored, such as Mars, said Sauro, who helps train European Space Agency and NASA astronauts for planetary exploration. 

Miltenburg, who was then an applications scientist for analytical instruments working in the Netherlands, was tasked to transport, set up and monitor the Thermo Scientific Phenom XL G2, a portable scanning electron microscope (SEM) that Sauro said was crucial to the mission.

The SEM, which utilizes an electron beam rather than light, can show structures at the nanometer scale—far beyond the resolving power of traditional light microscopes. This capability allowed scientists to examine microscopic samples of highly unstable minerals and microorganisms just minutes after they were scooped from cave walls. 

Watch the video below and learn more about the team's findings.

Expert Insights: Supporting our customers as they adopt NAMs and reduce animal testing

In April 2025, the FDA and NIH released updated guidance on New Approach Methodologies (NAMs), signaling a clear move toward human-relevant, non-animal testing models in drug development. The aim is to make research more predictive, efficient and better aligned with today’s safety standards. These updates also support the long-standing “3Rs” of research: Replace, Reduce and Refine.

NAMs encompass a range of scientific tools. As Thermo Fisher’s Chief Scientific Officer Karen Nelson shared in a recent post:

These technologies allow researchers to study human biology directly, instead of transposing animal results, and they provide reliable and reproducible data to support regulatory decisions and advance drug development. Thermo Fisher Scientific offers a broad portfolio of industry-leading solutions that are enabling the shift to non-animal models. From media and physiologically relevant cell culture, to organoids, labware and multi-omics analysis tools, we empower the innovation and deep analysis of next-generation NAMs. Our products and technical teams provide scientists with solutions to integrate these new models into their workstreams to generate high-quality data and facilitate alignment with changing regulatory expectations.

Did you know?

“Diagnosing autoimmune diseases is rarely straightforward,” said Thermo Fisher’s Santhosh Nair. “One major challenge with autoimmune diseases is the frequent delay in diagnosis, which can increase the risk of further damage due to disease progression. It takes an average of 4 doctors and 4 years for patients to receive an autoimmune diagnosis from first visit.”

Learn more from Nair about how advances in autoimmune diagnostics are transforming how patients receive care: Improving Patient Outcomes Through Integrated Autoimmune Diagnostics

Next Gen Science: Bright minds bring bold ideas to life

The Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge is the nation’s leading middle school science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) competition. At Finals Week in Washington, D.C., 30 young scientists shared their research with judges and competed in challenges that tested their STEM skills, leadership and creativity. 

Miles Wu, 14, earned the top prize – a $25,000 Thermo Fisher Scientific ASCEND Award – for designing foldable disaster relief shelters using origami-inspired engineering. By testing dozens of folding variations, he discovered that smaller panels with steeper angles not only enhanced strength but exhibited remarkable resilience. The resulting structures could support more than 9,000 times their own weight. 

Other top winners included:

• Akhil Nagori, 15, and Evann Sun, 14, developed a pair of glasses that can translate text to speech to help visually impaired students.
• Peter Fernández Dulay, 15, confirmed that AI tools perpetuated stereotypes about male bias in science.
• Camila Isabel Gonzalez-Thompson, 14, showed that Dengue virus is endemic to Puerto Rico, which can help public health officials target interventions.

Learn more about the top projects: 14-year-old Combines Origami and Physics to Engineer Foldable Structures for Disaster Relief Shelters; Wins $25,000 Top Award at Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge

In the Know: Headlines you might have missed

• We announced plans to acquire Clario Holdings, Inc., a leading provider of endpoint data solutions for clinical trials.
• Thermo Fisher's EXENT, a first-of-its-kind solution to support fast, clear diagnosis of multiple myeloma, receives FDA clearance.
• At CPHI Frankfurt 2025, we showcased our enhanced Accelerator Drug Development capabilities and our strategic collaboration with OpenAI.
• The Orbitrap Exploris EFOX Mass Detector is the first high-resolution Orbitrap system designed for environmental and food safety labs, helping scientists quickly and accurately detect contaminants like PFAS and pesticides to better protect public health.
• Nearly every electronic innovation requires advanced semiconductor chips. As manufacturers look to increase yields, our newly launched Helios MX1 PFIB-SEM will help fabrication labs meet demand.
• We were recognized as “Overall Cell and Gene Therapy (CGT) Solution Provider of the Year” in the BioTech Breakthrough Awards for our innovative solutions and partnerships that enable our customers in the discovery and development of CGTs.

Serving Science is your source for cutting-edge research, breakthrough technologies and inspiration from the forefront of science.

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