Professor Gail McConnell

Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences

Contact

Back to staff profile

Publications

Using 3D printed optics for fluorescence microscopy
Christopher Jay, Rooney Liam, McConnell Gail, Bauer Ralf
Microscience Microscopy Congress 2023 (2023)
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
(2023)
https://doi.org/10.1101/2023.07.03.547470
Mesoscale standing wave imaging
Foylan Shannan, Schniete Jana Katharina, Kölln Lisa Sophie, Dempster John, Hansen Carsten Gram, Shaw Michael, Bushell Trevor John, McConnell Gail
Journal of Microscopy, pp. 1-9 (2023)
https://doi.org/10.1111/jmi.13189
Whole-brain imaging of freely-moving zebrafish
Hasani Hamid, Sun Jipeng, Zhu Shuyu I, Rong Qiangzhou, Willomitzer Florian, Amor Rumelo, McConnell Gail, Cossairt Oliver, Goodhill Geoffrey J
Frontiers in Neuroscience Vol 17 (2023)
https://doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2023.1127574
MesoTIRF : a prism-based total internal reflection fluorescence illuminator for high resolution, high contrast imaging of large cell populations
Foylan S, Amos W B, Dempster J, Köelln L, Hansen C G, Shaw M, McConnell G
Applied Physics Letters Vol 122 (2023)
https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0133032
A simple image processing pipeline to sharpen topology maps in multi-wavelength interference microscopy
Tinning Peter W, Schniete Jana K, Scrimgeour Ross, Kölln Lisa S, Rooney Liam M, Bushell Trevor J, McConnell Gail
Optics Letters Vol 48, pp. 1092-1095 (2023)
https://doi.org/10.1364/OL.478402

More publications

Back to staff profile

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
MIFOBIO
Participant
11/2023
IMC 2023
Speaker
11/9/2023

More professional activities

Projects

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
Bio-ART: Multiscale understanding of BIOfilms and microBIOmes in Acute Recurrent Tonsillitis
McConnell, Gail (Principal Investigator)
MRC award joint with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde. PI Miss Catriona Douglas, NHS, Greater Glasgow and Clyde. £156,234. MR/W030381/1
01-Jan-2022 - 31-Jan-2024
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
Understanding the role of bacterial biofilms in otitis media with effusion
McConnell, Gail (Principal Investigator)
01-Jan-2022 - 30-Jan-2023
Understanding the role of biofilms in otitis media with effusion using fluorescence mesoscopy
McConnell, Gail (Principal Investigator)
01-Jan-2022 - 30-Jan-2023

More projects

Back to staff profile

Contact

Professor Gail McConnell
Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences

Email: g.mcconnell@strath.ac.uk
Tel: 548 3059