Public lecture: Illuminating Life

: Tuesday 9 April 2024
Time: 3:00pm - 6:15pm
Location: Esther Simpson Building
Cost: Free
Type: Lectures and seminars
Audience: Staff and students, General public

A brain cell as captured by a stochastic optical reconstruction microscope. A swirl of colorful dots — A brain cell as captured by STORM imaging technology.

Discover how innovative imaging tools developed by Professor Xiaowei Zhuang are unlocking new knowledge in how cells work.

Professor Xiaowei Zhuang is developing new ways to reveal how cells work, unlocking the role of different processes in health and disease.

Inventions from her lab include a super-high-resolution imaging method known as stochastic optical reconstruction microscopy (STORM).

This innovative method has allowed her group to find proteins within cells in much clearer detail than was possible previously, such as where and how many proteins are made within parts of the cell.

Zhuang and her team apply these methods to investigate an array of biological questions relating to molecular structures in cells, chromatin in the nucleus, regulation of gene expression, and the organization of distinct cell types in tissues.

A small exhibition from 3pm will provide attendees with a deeper dive into STORM and imaging technology, as well as an opportunity to network. The talk will begin at 4pm.

This lecture is part of the Astbury Conversation 2024. Find out more about the wider Astbury Conversation programme online.