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The Art of Science
A New View of the Brain
Alzheimer’s disease leaves its mark throughout the brain, from microscopic protein deposits to changes across entire brain networks.
Led by Ali Khan, PhD, associate professor, the Mesoscopic Integrated Neuroimaging Data (MIND) Platform combines whole-brain light sheet microscopy with ultra-high-field MRI, allowing researchers to connect the cellular hallmarks of disease with changes across the brain. This integrated view could help researchers understand where Alzheimer’s pathology begins, how it spreads and how it disrupts the brain over time.
Light sheet microscopy shows a mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease, highlighting amyloid beta plaques, blood vessels and brain cells. Image supplied by postdoctoral scholar Shahrzad Bahrampour, PhD.
The Choreography of Renewal
Our bodies quietly replace more than 100 billion cells every day. Before new cells can take their place, old ones must first be cleared away by macrophages – immune cells that act as the body’s microscopic clean-up crew.
By mapping how macrophages organize the receptors and signalling machinery needed to engulf dying cells, Bryan Heit, PhD, associate professor, is shedding light on the cellular choreography behind one of the body’s most fundamental processes of renewal.
Microscopy captures a macrophage (red) responding to chemical cues (blue) that mimic a dying cell. Image supplied by Bryan Heit.
The Next Frontier in Imaging
Paula Foster, PhD, professor, is helping pioneer magnetic particle imaging (MPI), one of the first new imaging modalities to reach human studies in decades. The technology detects tiny iron particles as they move through the body, producing precise, quantitative images without radioactive tracers.
In a first-in-human study, researchers including PhD candidate Nitara Fernando and Olivia Sehl, PhD'23, used MPI to map the lymphatic system before surgery, demonstrating the technology’s potential to help clinicians determine whether cancer has spread.
Magnetic particle imaging shows iron particles travelling from an injection site (top) to lymph nodes in the neck. Image supplied by Paula Foster.
The New Age of the Genome: From Code to Cure
