item 162
[14-04-2009 to 15-05-2009]
News Item:
Major Scottish Universities Life Sciences Grant
A major grant from the Scottish Universities Life Sciences Alliance (SULSA) Cell Biology pooling initiative has been awarded to Biology. The grant was lead by Dr Frank Gunn-Moore and Prof Richard Elliot and is from a joint collaboration with the Schools of Physics, Medicine and the Centre of Biomolecular Sciences. It will provide funds for a Cell Technologist for up to six years. This novel position will help in the current development of new imaging and cellular manipulation technologies which are ongoing in St Andrews, but they will also help to co-ordinate our increasing imaging capabilities present within our Schools.
The new technologies that the Cell Technologist will be involved in, have evolved from the successful ‘Biophotonics collaboration’, which involves scientists from across the Schools of Physics, Biology and Medicine, and exemplifies the true interdisciplinary research that occurs at St Andrews. This work has been noted as world-leading, and involves novel methods such as using lasers to photoporate cells, manipulate the growth and development of cells, and additionally optical tweeze cells to any required location. These capabilities will be further expanded by single-molecule fluorescence imaging techniques which can provide information about the dynamics of molecular interactions, and additionally ‘Raman’-based spectroscopy that allows the monitoring of cells with incredible sensitivity of chemical changes occurring in their environment.
see here for further details
contact: Prof Frank Gunn-Moore