
Moving from cells into tissue: a new tomography method
Researchers led by Dr Michael Grange at the Rosalind Franklin Institute have developed a robust molecular imaging workflow for brain tissue samples. Their approach utilises plasma ion beams, which increased the size of samples that could be extracted for imaging,…

Katie Beirns receives Don Claugher Award
Katie Beirns, PhD student at the Rosalind Franklin Institute and the University of Oxford, has been awarded the Don Claugher Award by the Society of Electron Microscope Technology (SEMT). The award is given in memory of Don Claugher, who was…

The Franklin is hiring a new Board Chair
Following the appointment of Professor Paul Matthews as Institute Director in 2024, the Franklin is now seeking to appoint a new Chair to succeed Dame Dr Vivienne Cox DBE, who will step down from the Board later this year having…

New cutting-edge microscope for the UK
The UK’s first Chromatic Aberration-Corrected Electron Microscope has arrived at the Rosalind Franklin Institute. This state-of-the-art instrument will significantly enhance the resolution limits for biological sample imaging, especially for thicker specimens. This delivery marks the final instalment of three advanced…

Sugar signalling applications could boost wheat yields by up to 12%
Long term study confirms effectiveness of new technology Enhancing wheat plants ’ sugar signalling ability could deliver increased yields of up to 12%, according to researchers from Rothamsted, Oxford University and the Rosalind Franklin Institute. That is an order of…

Professor Ben Davis receives award for Excellence in Medicinal Chemistry
The Israel Chemical Society have announced that Professor Ben Davis will receive the 2025 MCS-ICS (Medicinal Chemistry Section of the Israel Chemical Society) Award for Excellence in Medicinal Chemistry. The Israel Chemical Society is dedicated to advancing pure and applied…

BioCOP – the UK’s first multimodular optical microscope – enters testing phase
Biophotonic Correlative Optical Platform (BioCOP), which is located at the Rosalind Franklin Institute (the Franklin), has entered its next phase of development of calibration and benchmarking. The instrument is now assembled, and the team will start testing it with model…

Call for Strategic Partnerships
The Rosalind Franklin Institute are seeking to make two 5-year joint appointments, each in a key strategic area for the Franklin, Structural Biology and Artificial Intelligence, collaborating with UK HEI or Institute partners. Appointments would be expected to start in role before…

Professor Ben Davis awarded 2025 Claude S Hudson Award
Congratulations to Professor Ben Davis who has received the 2025 Claude S Hudson Award, presented by the American Chemical Society (ACS). The Hudson Award is presented biennially by the ACS Division of Carbohydrate Chemistry & Chemical Glycobiology (CARB), committed to advancing the field…

Using AI to improve the analysis of 3D biological images
Scientists have developed a new machine learning model, known as Affinity-VAE, that improves the analysis of 3D biological images in fields such as cryo-electron tomography (cryo-ET). By making use of prior knowledge about protein structures, the model can identify clusters…