New bifunctional, bispecific nanobodies scaffold helps with small protein imaging
Researchers at the Rosalind Franklin Institute, University of Oxford, and Diamond Light Source have combined their expertise to create new scaffolding molecules to allow the electron microscopy imaging of small proteins (below 50 kDa). Using this method the team have…
Harnessing the power of supercomputing to understand placental structure and its effect on pregnancy outcomes
The Rosalind Franklin Institute’s Advanced Research Computing team are using the UK’s latest supercomputer to help understand placenta imaging data. The time on the supercomputer will support multiple institute projects to help us understand the placenta and predict important conditions…
Congratulations to the UK Biobank’s human imaging project as they reach a major new milestone
UK Biobank is celebrating an outstanding achievement of completing the world’s largest whole body imaging project. They have scanned the brains, hearts, abdomens, blood vessels, bones and joints of 100,000 volunteers. These scans can reveal population-level trends in how, why…
New scanning technique overcomes longstanding challenge in cryo-SEM imaging
Researchers at the Rosalind Franklin Institute have developed a new approach to scanning electron microscopy (SEM) that dramatically reduces obstructions caused by charging artefacts in frozen biological samples. The advance, described in a paper published in Nature Communications, allows scientists…
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…