photo opportunity 12 noon, Monday 10 December, Wellcome Trust Biocentre, University of Dundee.Digital images of magnified specimens are also available from the Press Office.
Researchers at the University of Dundee are looking very closely at their specimens this week as they take delivery of new electron microscopes which can magnify up to a staggering 200,000 times.
A standard microscope allows magnification of up to 1,000 times but this new equipment costing a total of £2 million will let researchers in the School of Life Sciences look so closely at cells that they will be able to see not only cell structures but details on the proteins and viruses that maybe inside them. This close examination will allow scientists to study healthy cells, compare them with defective cells and draw conclusions for diseases such as cancer.
The Centre for High-resolution Imaging and Processing (CHIPs) which houses the microscopes is a purpose built unit for electron microscopy providing powerful microscopy, the capacity to produce digital images of the specimen under the microscope and direct TV images for use in scientific discussions. One of the microscopes has a special cold stage so researchers can view the frozen specimens without having to chemically fix them. These new facilities will be used by scientists in Dundee and visiting scientists from all over the UK who need to use the specialised equipment.
Professor Keith Gull from the University of Manchester will open the centre and lead a day of specialised lectures to celebrate the new facilities. Professor Gull studies cell life cycles in African trypanosomes which are the causal agents of serious diseases in the developing world.
Other lecturers include Professor Chris Hutchison from the University of Durham and Professor Terry Allen of the Christie CRC Research Centre, University of Manchester. The lectures will take place in the large lecture theatre in the Medical Sciences Institute
The new unit was funded by a £1M grant from the Joint Infrastructure Fund (JIF) awarded in 1998. Additional funding from the Wellcome Trust and the Medical Research Council brought the total funding for the project to over £2M, allowing the purchase of the new electron microscopes, ancillary equipment, and employment of staff to operate the facility.
The co-ordinator of the JIF bid was Professor Angus Lamond, Head of the Division of Gene Regulation and Expression. Professor Lamond: "High resolution microscopy is of tremendous importance for biomedical research. The new unit at Dundee will be invaluable for our future studies on the causes of human disease and our search for new cures. It will assist all research in the School of Life Sciences."
Professor Keith Gull, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Manchester said: "The examination of cells and microbes by microscopy is central to research in biology and medicine. New ways of preparing materials, new types of microscopes and the analysis of images by computer have rejuvenated this research. All bioscientists require access to these sophisticated techniques and the establishment of the microscopy centre places Dundee at the forefront of such developments in the UK. These facilities will be key to understanding how cells and microbes operate in human health and disease."/ENDS
Note to Editors: The Joint Infrastructure Fund is a £750 million fund set up by the Government and the Wellcome Trust with the Higher Education Council in England, for new and refurbished university laboratories, equipment and other essential infrastructural needs.