By providing a broad range of advanced imaging technologies encompassing and linking light and electron microscopy, the Facility supports many research areas, including:

• Cancer
• Cardiovascular Science
• Cell Biology
• Infection and Immunity
• Nanoscience
• Neuroscience
• Regenerative Medicine
• Synthetic Biology

Our users

Our user base currently encompasses over 350 researchers from a wide range of disciplines in the biomedical and physical sciences across the University. The impact and scope of the Wolfson Bioimaging Facility is seen in over 1000 research publications that include data acquired on our microscopes.

We advise and train researchers at all levels of their careers to optimise the use of our microscope systems and to process and analyse the data they generate.

Recent publication highlights

• Rescue of mitochondrial import failure by intercellular organellar transfer. Nature Communications 15(1):988. (2024)
• Maturation and conformational switching of a de novo designed phase-separating polypeptide.J. Am. Chem. Soc. doi: 10.1021/jacs.4c00256 (2024)
• Convergence in carnivorous pitcher plants reveals a mechanism for composite trait evolution.Science 383(6678):108-113 (2024)
• An engineered baculoviral protein and DNA co-delivery system for CRISPR-based mammalian genome editing.  Nucleic Acids Research doi: 10.1093/nar/gkae142 (2024) 
• Bacterial surface appendages modulate the antimicrobial activity induced by nanoflake surfaces on titanium. Small Jan 17:e2310149 (2024)
• Short-range translocation by a restriction enzyme motor triggers diffusion along DNA. Nature Chemical Biology doi: 10.1038/s41589-023-01504-1 (2024)
• Self-assembled, disordered structural color from fruit wax bloom. Science Advances 10(6):eadk4219. (2024) 
• Assembling membraneless organelles from de novo designed proteins. Nature Chemistry 16: 89–97 (2024)
• Functional-metabolic coupling in distinct renal cell types coordinates organ-wide physiology and delays premature ageing. Nature Communications 14(1):8405 (2023)
• Self-assembly of nanofilaments in cyanobacteria for protein co-localization. ACS Nano doi: 10.1021/acsnano.3c08600 (2023)
• Shiga toxin targets the podocyte causing hemolytic uremic syndrome through endothelial complement activation. Med. 4(11):761-777 (2023)
• Highly efficient platelet generation in lung vasculature reproduced by microfluidics. Nature Communications 14(1):4026. (2023)
• Rapid expansion and visual specialisation of learning and memory centres in the brains of Heliconiini butterflies. Nature Communications 14(1):4024. (2023)
• Modular bioorthogonal lipid nanoparticle modification platforms for cardiac homing. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 145, 22659–22670 (2023)
• Autonomic integration in nested protocell communities. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 145:14727-14736. (2023)
• Structure of the endosomal Commander complex linked to Ritscher-Schinzel syndrome. Cell 186: 2219-37 (2023)
• The PECAn image and statistical analysis pipeline identifies Minute cell competition genes and features. Nature Commun. 14: 2686 (2023)
• Adeno-associated virus gene therapy prevents progression of kidney disease in genetic models of nephrotic syndrome  Science Translational Medicine DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.abc8226  (2023)
• Chemical communication and protocell-matrix dynamics in segregated colloidosome micro-colonies. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. Engl. 62(24):e202300932 (2023)
• Podocyte protease actuated receptor 1 stimulation in mice produces focal segmental glomerulosclerosis mirroring human disease signaling events. Kidney International 104(2):265-278 (2023)