Small World

Stunning image has been emailed to your picture desk

Small is beautiful. And the tiniest cell has just won a researcher at the University of Dundee a top international prize in the international Nikon Microscopy Competition.

Paul Andrews' prize winning image shows a human cancer cell dividing in brilliant hues of purple and green. The white chromosomes have been separated to the cell poles by means of mitotic spindle microtubules highlighted in purple. Aurora B plays a critical role in the process of cell division - visible in the picture - tagged with the jellyfish green fluorescent protein, GFP.

Paul Andrews was one of only two winning entries from the UK, for his submission of an image of a HeLa (cancer) cell in the Nikon Small World Competition. He came 16th out of 20 winners. The International microscopy competition is open to all disciplines from material science to cell biology and the first twenty prize-winning images are exhibited at numerous museums and science centres throughout the United States.

Paul is based in the Division of Gene Regulation and Expression and works on the functions of the Aurora B protein kinase in human cells. Part of these studies involves the use of a state-of-the-art digital deconvolution microscope (DeltaVision) for high resolution imaging.

Contact Angela Nicoll 01382 348377

By Jenny Marra, Press Officer 01382 344910 j.m.marra@dundee.ac.uk