Capital Equipment Fund success for cross-disciplinary research groups CDB and LMCB

This microscope will enable high-resolution, fast and deep imaging of cellular and molecular machinery in tissue and organ development, homeostasis and repair. One of three systems from the leading manufactories of this technology will be selected and will be delivered before the end of July 2022.

The new instrument will allow imaging at ultra-high temporal resolution of up to 200 frames/second. The pattern of light employed by the spinning disk microscope significantly reduces the effects of phototoxicity and photobleaching, which is essential for imaging dynamic cellular and molecular processes in living organisms. This new system will be transformative for UCL users who work with whole tissues in vivo or with 3D structures (e.g. whole mount tissues/organs from model organisms; cultured spheroids and organoids) by allowing researchers to probe molecular pathways at super resolution (100 – 120 nm) while recording cell dynamics at ultra-fast speed. This combination of spatial resolution and speed of acquisition will enable the capture of cellular and molecular dynamics that cannot currently be observed with our existing imaging systems.

The super resolution spinning disc confocal will be advertised through the Science Technology Platform (STP) Imaging web site (new web site under construction), through the UCL Bioimaging Interest Group (with more than 350 registered UCL users). The microscope will be also listed on the UCL Super Resolution Facility (SuRF) web page as well as on the Centre for Cell & Molecular Dynamics page. This will ensure the new microscope is truly visible and accessible to all.

Co-applicants: Franck Pichaud, Jonathan Chubb, Vilaiwan Fernandes, Anna Franz, Soyon Hong, Robin Ketteler,  Alison Lloyd, Roberto Mayo and Mie Wong.