Publications

Assessing mature and immature collagen in tonsillar tissue using second harmonic generation microscopy

Polland Kay, Clapperton Megan, Kunanandam Thushitha, Florea Catalina D, Douglas Catriona M, McConnell Gail

Journal of Microscopy (2026)

https://doi.org/10.1111/jmi.70130

Collective motion in bacterial suspensions is scale-free

Pérez-Estay Benjamín, Martinez Vincent, Douarche Carine, Schwarz-Linek Jana, Arlt Jochen, Delville Pierre-Henri, McConnell Gail, Poon Wilson C K, Lindner Anke, Clement Eric

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Vol 123 (2026)

https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2600266123

Mesolens imaging in microbiology

Baxter Katherine J, Bottura Beatrice, McConnell Gail, Rooney Liam M

Essays in Biochemistry (2026)

https://doi.org/10.1042/EBC20250033

Astrocytic reactivity and amyloid load are reduced in a sex-dependent manner in a mouse model of amyloid pathology following protease-activated receptor 2 activation

Edwards Nicole, Sakata Shuzo, McConnell Gail, Bushell Trevor

Neuropharmacology Vol 297 (2026)

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuropharm.2026.111010

Affordable 3D printed optics with nanoparticle enhanced optical and opto-mechanical performance

Butterworth Charlie, Christopher Jay, Walker Dickon, Cunningham Margaret Rose, Rooney Liam, McConnell Gail, Bauer Ralf

SPIE Photonics Europe 2026 (2026)

High-resolution mapping of bacterial colonisation of arabidopsis roots with fourier ptychographic microscopy

Copeland Laura, Walker Lewis, Baxter Katherine, Shaw Michael, McConnell Gail

Microbiology Society Annual Conference (2026)

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Research Interests

The optical microscope is so important to biomedicine that it is used as an icon to symbolise all science, but in the age of lasers, computers, digital detectors and new photochemistry the basic design of this classic tool of research can be greatly improved. My research involves the development of new optical instruments and technologies for cell and tissue imaging: this includes linear and nonlinear optics, new light sources, and new ways of preparing the specimen for imaging that reveals more structural information than the light microscope can normally provide.

An example of my interests is the Mesolens, where we have redesigned the microscope so that internal details of every cell of the millions present in a biological specimen of more than 100 cubic millimeters in volume can be seen. Our microscope does not use an eyepiece for recording, since the image exceeds the power of the human eye to perceive detail: our image datasets from a volume specimen are typically hundreds of gigabytes in size. We specified the novel optics for screening transgenic mouse embryos to discover human genes that might produce congenital abnormalities, such as vascular disease, which affects approximately one in two hundred human births. However, we are now finding applications throughout bioscience, e.g. in neuroscience and developmental studies. At the Strathclyde Mesolab, a newly created MRC-supported facility, we are working with life, physical and computer scientists worldwide to explore applications of our current technology and to develop new mesoscopic imaging modes that will provide a new insight into development and disease.

Professional Activities

Lost in Translation: reassessing bldA control of antibiotic biosynthesis

Contributor

13/4/2026

Strathclyde Optical Microscopy Course 2025

Organiser

23/7/2025

Resolving the distribution of the glucose transporter GLUT4 in fat tissue using Ultrastructure-Expansion Mesoscopy

Contributor

2/7/2025

Basic and advanced computational imaging

Speaker

2/6/2025

Lasers and light sources for optical microscopy

Speaker

15/5/2025

A career in optical microscopy

Speaker

3/4/2025

More professional activities

Projects

UDLA 2527 University of Strathclyde | Caplan, Holly

Patton, Brian (Principal Investigator) McConnell, Gail (Co-investigator) Caplan, Holly (Research Co-investigator)

01-Jan-2025 - 01-Jan-2029

Strathclyde Optical Microscopy Course - CoB funding 2025

McConnell, Gail (Principal Investigator)

23-Jan-2025 - 01-Jan-2025

Development of a Human Cerebral Microvascular Model to Investigate the Biomechanical Influence of Clotting on Angiogenesis

Eastham, Sarah (Researcher) Wu, Junxi (Co-investigator) McConnell, Gail (Co-investigator) Carswell, Hilary (Co-investigator)

RS MacDonald facility access funding (£9,500) awarded by SULSA to investigate angiogenesis in the context of ischaemic stroke.

05-Jan-2025 - 04-Jan-2026

Imaging of fluorescent antibiotics in biofilms

McConnell, Gail (Principal Investigator)

05-Jan-2024 - 31-Jan-2024

Strathclyde Optical Microscopy Course - CoB funding

McConnell, Gail (Principal Investigator)

04-Jan-2024 - 09-Jan-2024

3D-printed transmissive adaptive optics for microscopy (BBSRC 23TRT)

Bauer, Ralf (Principal Investigator) Cunningham, Margaret Rose (Co-investigator) McConnell, Gail (Co-investigator)

01-Jan-2024 - 31-Jan-2025

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