Image of microplastics in body shortlisted for Wellcome Photography Prize 2025

Now in its 28th year, the Wellcome Photography Prize celebrates compelling imagery at the intersection of science, health and human experience. From documentary photography to microscopy and medical imaging, it highlights diverse perspectives on global health and the vital role of visual storytelling in creating a healthier future.

The entry, called ‘I’ve got you under my skin: microplastics in mammalian tissue’, was captured by Dr Stephen Patrick (UCL Division of Medicine) and Dr Olumide Ogunlade (UCL Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering). It was one of eight finalists in ‘The Marvels of Scientific and Medical Imaging’ category.

The image is the first successful non-invasive image of its kind, which shows the presence of tiny plastic particles – visible in turquoise – deep inside a live mouse.

Dr Patrick said: “The accumulation of microplastics in the human body is a growing global health concern, with links to irritable bowel syndrome, dementia, liver cirrhosis, and stroke. Current methods of imaging microplastics are however invasive, hindering research into how they affect our wellbeing.

“To capture this shot, we developed a photoacoustic imaging method combining rapidly pulsing lasers to illuminate the tissue, and ultrasound detectors to record the sound waves emitted by the light-absorbing pigments commonly found in microplastics. This is one of the first steps towards taking images of human tissues without the need for invasive biopsies, which will open up a wide range of clinical investigations into the health impacts of microplastics.”

The collaboration between Dr Patrick, Dr Ogunlade, and collaborator Dr Joseph Bear (Kingston University) showcases the highly interdisciplinary nature of the medical imaging research at UCL, which often involves collaborators across chemistry, engineering, physics and clinical.

Dr Patrick develops new imaging and labelling methods to track the behaviour of experimental therapies in the body. His recent work has investigated the delivery of emerging cancer therapies including nanoparticles and stem cells, as well as implanted biomaterials such as hernia mesh and hydrogels for regenerative medicine. He works across a variety of medical imaging techniques, including X-ray CT, MRI, ultrasound, nuclear, and optical imaging.

Dr Ogunlade, now at the University of Birmingham, is an honorary Senior Research Fellow from UCL Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering. He co-leads the Birmingham Photoacoustic Group, focusing on developing novel methods and technologies in photoacoustic and thermoacoustic imaging, to help study diseases such as cancer and cardiovascular disease.

Wellcome unveiled the winners of this year’s Prize at a ceremony held at the Francis Crick Institute in London on 16 July. Three outstanding image makers, UK-based artist Sujata Setia, Bangladeshi documentary and street photographer Mithail Afrige Chowdhury, and UK-based electron microscopy specialist and science photographer Steve Gschmeissner, were each awarded a £10,000 prize.

At the ceremony, the remaining finalists were each presented with a £1,000 prize, with a total of £52,000 awarded. The event was hosted by Professor Danielle George CBE, engineer, astrophysicist, science communicator and television presenter.

The top 25 entries are on display in the Wellcome Photography Prize 2025 exhibition, which is free and open to the public at the Francis Crick Institute, running until 18 October 2025.