Amongst the awards is one to Dr Thom Sharp, Associate Professor of Biochemistry, who has been awarded £1.6m to continue developing a new method for finding specific proteins within human cells that could pave the way for cutting-edge immunotherapeutics to target hard-to-treat diseases such as autoimmune disorders, lymphomas and leukaemia.

Currently if researchers studying structural biology want to study protein functions, they need to remove the protein from its native context using a technique called Cryo-electron tomography – however finding a specific protein in a human cell is akin to searching for a needle in a haystack 50m tall. Also, by removing the protein scientists lose the in situ information.

Dr Sharp and his team are working on a new technique to solve these problems. By combining super-resolution light microscopy on sample prepared for cryoET they can locate specific proteins within whole cells. The technique is known as super-resolution cryo-correlative light and electron microscopy, or SRcryoCLEM. It will enable researchers to locate and study specific proteins in unprecedented detail, aiding in the development of next-generation therapeutics.

Read about the other projects supported on the University news pages