‘Super’ microscope wins £750,000 funding

Sunday 3 April 2005

Scientists at the University of St Andrews have won a £750,000 grant to develop a new ‘super’ microscope to be used for cutting- edge research into Alzheimer’s disease and cancer.

The Biophotonics work station will be the first instrument of its kind to offer a wide range of functions for cell research in a single tool. It will allow scientists to image, sort, separate and punch holes into cells as small as 1/100th of a millimetre.

The work will have a crucial role to play in developing technology for the early diagnosis and treatment of range of illnesses.

The new development will draw together research at the University from leading academics including physicist Professor Wilson Sibbett, cancer researcher Professor Andrew Riches and Dr Frank Gunn-Moore, a neurobiologist investigating how nerve cells are affected by neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimers.

Leading the project is Professor Kishan Dholakia, head of the Optical Trapping Group at the School of Physics and Astronomy, who is pioneering a number of cell- based research techniques based on light. Of the recent funding, supplied by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), he said:

“We are very excited about this project. Standard microscopes can usually do one or two things but this biophotonics work station will offer the whole range of functions in a single tool.

“It will combine the latest advances in optics with some really cutting edge biology and ultimately could help save lives.”

The multi-disciplinary aspect of the work station means research will benefit from added safety against possible contamination to cells.

Dr Frank Gunn-Moore explained: “Since all of the functions can be done in one room and on one system, our cell samples involved in Alzheimer’s disease or cancer don’t have to be moved; thus minimising the possibility of contamination and ensuring the stability of tissue.”

The work station, which will take two years to put together, will be built around a Nikon microscope and will use compact lasers. It is likely to be the size of a 20 inch television but the researchers say that they could develop smaller versions depending on commercial interest.

Professor Dholakia said: “We own the intellectual property on this project and if the initial microscope is a success there is lots of potential to build bespoke microscopes for other research organisations or medical diagnostics companies.”

ENDS

NOTE TO EDITORS:

DR DHOLAKIA IS AVAILABLE FOR INTERVIEW ON 01334 463184 OR EMAIL [email protected]

PICTURE EDITORS:

JPEGS ILLUSTRATING THE WORK ARE AVAILABLE FROM THE PRESS OFFICE – CONTACTS BELOW.

ENDS

Issued by Beattie Media On behalf of the University of St Andrews Contact Gayle Cook, Press Officer on 01334 467227 / 462529, mobile 07900 050 103, or email gec3@st- andrews.ac.uk Ref: super microscope 040405.doc View the latest University press releases at http://www.st- andrews.ac.uk


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