The School of Chemistry is delighted to announce that David Clarke and Alison Hulme have both been successful in securing major funding from the BBSRC’s ALERT 2024 equipment call. The University of Edinburgh have secured 5 awards in total from this round of funding. These prestigious awards will bring two state-of-the-art instruments to the University of Edinburgh, significantly enhancing our research capabilities in mass spectrometry and advanced microscopy. The new equipment will empower researchers to tackle fundamental questions in biological and chemical sciences, from the molecular mechanisms of disease to the development of sustainable technologies. Next-Generation High Resolution Mass Spectrometry at the University of Edinburgh Led by Prof. David Clarke and Dr. Van Kelly, this award will fund the acquisition of a latest-generation mass spectrometer, the Orbitrap Ascend, which will be housed in the School of Chemistry’s Scottish Resource Centre for Advanced Mass Spectrometry (SIRCAMS). Proteins are the workhorses of life, often working in intricate partnerships called protein complexes to carry out essential functions. Mass Spectrometry (MS) is a powerful tool for understanding these complexes, but current technology has its limits. This new instrument represents a step-change in capability, offering greater speed and sensitivity to study larger and more complicated protein assemblies than ever before.The enhanced features will enable our researchers to perform experiments that have previously been impossible, breaking new ground in key strategic areas for the BBSRC. These include:Health and Healthy Ageing: Investigating the formation of protein complexes in neurons to better understand neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.Renewable Resources and Clean Growth: Studying engineered proteins that can perform novel chemical reactions, offering sustainable alternatives to traditional industrial processes.Sustainable Agriculture: Analysing the key protein complexes involved in photosynthesis to help increase crop productivity. After installation, this national facility will be made available to the wider academic and industrial research communities, ensuring its impact is felt across the UK.More information about the School of Chemistry's Mass Spectrometry and other facilities can be found here. Good Vibrations: Visualising life with multiphoton/Coherent Raman Scattering microscopy Professor Alison Hulme’s award will bring a cutting-edge commercial multiphoton/Coherent Raman Scattering (CRS) microscope to the University’s Institute for Regeneration and Repair (IRR).Imaging cells and tissues often requires adding fluorescent labels, which can change the very behaviour researchers want to study. CRS microscopy is a revolutionary "label-free" technology that avoids this problem by visualising the unique molecular vibrations of lipids and proteins. This allows scientists to map the chemical composition of living cells in 3D with unrivalled detail. Identified as a "Method to Watch" by Nature Methods, this technology is transforming biological imaging. The new microscope will be the most advanced instrument of its kind to be located in an academic facility in the UK. Building on Edinburgh's world-leading expertise in CRS, the platform will enable researchers to:Identify the hallmarks of cellular ageing.Understand how stem cells commit to specific lineages in tissue engineering.Sense the intracellular conditions that drive tissue repair.This investment will not only enhance our understanding of the fundamental processes governing life but will also help reduce the use of animals in research by enabling the development of more advanced and meaningful human cell and tissue models. The microscope will be accessible to users across Scotland and the wider UK, supported by the IRR’s expert imaging facility staff.Find out more about the Hulme Group's research here. Tags Research Publication date 11 Sep, 2025
