Professor Gail McConnell
Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences
Prize And Awards
- Honorary membership of the British Biophysical Society
- Recipient
- 1/5/2023
- Royal Microscopical Society Medal for Light Microscopy
- Recipient
- 1/7/2019
- Fellowship of the Royal Society of Edinburgh
- Recipient
- 25/5/2019
- Tom Gibson Memorial Award
- Recipient
- 10/10/2014
- Fellowship of the Royal Microscopical Society
- Recipient
- 1/5/2011
- Nexxus Young Life Scientist of the Year
- Recipient
- 31/1/2011
Publications
- An easy to use tool for the analysis of subcellular mRNA transcript colocalisation in smFISH data
- Bentley-Abbot Calum, Heslop Rhiannon, Pirillo Chiara, Chandrasegaran Praveena, McConnell Gail, Roberts Ed, Hutchinson Edward, MacLeod Annette
- Scientific Reports Vol 14 (2024)
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-58641-3
- Low-cost 3D printed lenses for brightfield and fluorescence microscopy
- Christopher Jay, Rooney Liam M, Donnachie Mark, Uttamchandani Deepak, McConnell Gail, Bauer Ralf
- Biomedical Optics Express Vol 15, pp. 2224-2237 (2024)
- https://doi.org/10.1364/BOE.514653
- Multimodal optical mesoscopy reveals the quantity and spatial distribution of gram-positive biofilms in ex vivo tonsils
- Clapperton Megan, Kunanandam Tash, Florea Catalina D, Douglas Catriona M, McConnell Gail
- Journal of Microscopy (2024)
- https://doi.org/10.1111/jmi.13266
- Construction and characterisation of a structured, tuneable, and transparent 3D culture platform for soil bacteria
- Rooney Liam M, Dupuy Lionel X, Hoskisson Paul A, McConnell Gail
- Microbiology Vol 170 (2024)
- https://doi.org/10.1099/mic.0.001429
- Time-lapse mesoscopy of Candida albicans and Staphylococcus aureus dual-species biofilms reveals a structural role for the hyphae of C. albicans in biofilm formation
- Baxter Katherine J, Sargison Fiona A, Fitzgerald J Ross, McConnell Gail, Hoskisson Paul A
- Microbiology Vol 170 (2024)
- https://doi.org/10.1099/mic.0.001426
- Using 3D printed optics for fluorescence microscopy
- Christopher Jay, Rooney Liam, McConnell Gail, Bauer Ralf
- Microscience Microscopy Congress 2023 (2023)
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
- Strathclyde Optical Microscopy Course
- Organiser
- 4/8/2024
- ELMI
- Organiser
- 4/6/2024
- MBL Lightsheet Conference and Workshop
- Participant
- 6/5/2024
- Optica Webinar
- Participant
- 7/11/2023
- Searching for biomarkers of tonsillar disease
- Contributor
- 7/11/2023
- MIFOBIO
- Participant
- 11/2023
Projects
- DTP 2224 University of Strathclyde | Copeland, Laura
- McConnell, Gail (Principal Investigator) Patton, Brian (Co-investigator) Copeland, Laura (Research Co-investigator)
- 01-Jan-2023 - 01-Jan-2027
- Label-free intraoperative histological imaging (icase)
- McConnell, Gail (Principal Investigator)
- 01-Jan-2023 - 30-Jan-2027
- Industrial Case Account - University of Strathclyde 2023 | Walker, Lewis
- McConnell, Gail (Principal Investigator) Patton, Brian (Co-investigator) Walker, Lewis (Research Co-investigator)
- 01-Jan-2023 - 01-Jan-2026
- How does EFR3 control insulin-stimulated plasma membrane dispersal of GLUT4?
- Gould, Gwyn (Principal Investigator) Li, David (Co-investigator) McConnell, Gail (Co-investigator) Van de Linde, Sebastian (Co-investigator)
- 15-Jan-2023 - 14-Jan-2026
- New Endoscopic Imaging Technologies for Instantaneous assessment of Vasodilation as an Indicator of Bacterial Infection in Tonsillitis
- McConnell, Gail (Principal Investigator)
- 03-Jan-2022 - 02-Jan-2026
- DTP 2224 University of Strathclyde | Brown, Mollie
- McConnell, Gail (Principal Investigator) Gould, Gwyn (Co-investigator) Brown, Mollie (Research Co-investigator)
- 01-Jan-2022 - 01-Jan-2026
Contact
Professor
Gail
McConnell
Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences
Email: g.mcconnell@strath.ac.uk
Tel: 548 3059