Winning video from Nikon microscope competition shows airway cells dancing in child with rare genetic disorder — Chinese student built imaging system to capture 'beautiful' cilia at 100x magnification

The annual Nikon Small World in Motion competition has crowned its winners for 2026, with a Chinese student taking home the top prize for a mesmerizing video of airway cells. The winning footage showcases cilia, the tiny hair-like protein structures responsible for processing mucus and carrying waste away from the airways, captured at an impressive 100x magnification using diffractive super-resolution microscopy.

However, the cilia in the video are from a child suffering from Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia (PCD), a rare genetic disorder that impairs cilia function and leads to ineffective mucus clearance. Consequently, the cilia in the video appear to be "dancing" irregularly instead of moving in a uniform, smooth manner. Dr. Ning Xu, the optical engineering researcher behind the winning video, emphasizes the importance of this up-close view, explaining that it helps scientists gain a deeper understanding of the condition.

His work in developing imaging systems has taken him to various institutions, including the National University of Singapore, Tsinghua University, the University of Cambridge, Beijing Children's Hospital, and the California Institute of Technology.