Projects per year
Personal profile
Research Interests
The optical microscope is so important to biomedicine that it is used as an icon to symbolise all science, but in the age of lasers, computers, digital detectors and new photochemistry the basic design of this classic tool of research can be greatly improved. My research involves the development of new optical instruments and technologies for cell and tissue imaging: this includes linear and nonlinear optics, new light sources, and new ways of preparing the specimen for imaging that reveals more structural information than the light microscope can normally provide.
An example of my interests is the Mesolens, where we have redesigned the microscope so that internal details of every cell of the millions present in a biological specimen of more than 100 cubic millimeters in volume can be seen. Our microscope does not use an eyepiece for recording, since the image exceeds the power of the human eye to perceive detail: our image datasets from a volume specimen are typically hundreds of gigabytes in size. We specified the novel optics for screening transgenic mouse embryos to discover human genes that might produce congenital abnormalities, such as vascular disease, which affects approximately one in two hundred human births. However, we are now finding applications throughout bioscience, e.g. in neuroscience and developmental studies. At the Strathclyde Mesolab, a newly created MRC-supported facility, we are working with life, physical and computer scientists worldwide to explore applications of our current technology and to develop new mesoscopic imaging modes that will provide a new insight into development and disease.
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
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- 1 Similar Profiles
Network
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Investigating the growth dynamics of multispecies biofilms on medical grade silicone by Mesoscopy
BAXTER, K., Hoskisson, P. & McConnell, G.
14/01/22 → 13/07/23
Project: Research
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Application of light-sheet mesoscopy to image host-pathogen interactions in intact organs
Battistella, E., Quintana, J. F. & McConnell, G., 14 Jun 2022, In: Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology : Parasite and Host. 12, 12 p., 903957.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile -
Challenges and advances in optical 3D mesoscale imaging
Munck, S., Cawthorne, C., Escamilla‐Ayala, A., Kerstens, A., Gabarre, S., Wesencraft, K., Battistella, E., Craig, R., Reynaud, E. G., Swoger, J. & McConnell, G., Jun 2022, In: Journal of Microscopy. 286, 3, p. 201-219 19 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile7 Downloads (Pure)
Datasets
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Data for: "Application of light-sheet mesoscopy to image host-pathogen interactions in intact organs"
Battistella, E. (Creator), McConnell, G. (Supervisor) & Quintana, J. F. (Contributor), University of Strathclyde, 30 Mar 2022
DOI: 10.15129/4c1c6de5-3e1c-483d-a95b-e957dfad4e9f
Dataset
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Data For: "Enhanced fluorescence from semiconductor quantum dot-labelled cells excited at 280 nm"
Hall, N. (Creator), McFarlane, M. (Creator) & McConnell, G. (Supervisor), University of Strathclyde, 28 Feb 2022
DOI: 10.15129/5b165a66-62b5-48d7-aa08-03ced90df64e, https://github.com/NickHallPhysics/Quantum_dot_image_analysis
Dataset
Activities
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Exploring the potential of Quantum Bioimging
Gail McConnell (Participant)
17 Sep 2021Activity: Participating in or organising an event types › Participation in workshop, seminar, course
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SPIE PX21
Gail McConnell (Participant)
1 Sep 2021 → …Activity: Participating in or organising an event types › Participation in workshop, seminar, course
Equipment
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Carpe Autocorrelator
Strathclyde Institute Of Pharmacy And Biomedical SciencesFacility/equipment: Equipment
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Inverted epi-fluorescent microscope
Strathclyde Institute Of Pharmacy And Biomedical SciencesFacility/equipment: Equipment