News in 2024
- GW4 Alliance secures £1.5 million for cutting-edge cryoFIB-SEM instrumentation following successful BBSRC bid 9 September 2024 The GW4 Alliance, comprising the Universities of Bath, Bristol, Cardiff, and Exeter, has secured a total of £2.6 million in funding from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) ALERT scheme to bolster its research infrastructure. This includes £1.5 million to enable the acquisition of the first cryo-focused ion beam-scanning electron microscope (cryoFIB-SEM) with integrated fluorescent light imaging in the region, alongside £1.1 million to upgrade cryo-electron microscopy (cryoEM) capabilities at the University of Exeter. This investment represents a transformative leap in the capabilities of the GW4 Facility for High-Resolution Electron Cryo-Microscopy and is set to drive groundbreaking research in in situ structural biology across the alliance.
- Cryo-electron microscopy reveals novel cytoskeletal structures in human cells 16 July 2024 In a pioneering study using advanced imaging techniques, including cryo-electron tomography (cryoET) and cryo-focused ion beam milling with scanning electron microscopy (cryoFIB-SEM), researchers at the University of Bristol have illuminated a fascinating aspect of cellular architecture, revealing new insights into the interactions between the actin and microtubule cytoskeletons, which are crucial for cell division, migration, and intracellular transport. Traditionally, it was believed that these interactions were primarily mediated by proteins that directly link or signal between these two dynamic networks. However, emerging evidence suggests an additional mechanism where F-actin, a polymerized form of actin, assembles within the lumen of microtubules to form composite structures.