Joint IMSR and COMPARE Seminar 'Functional fluorophores for live-cell imaging and beyond'

Abstract

Optical imaging has revolutionised our understanding of how biological systems behave at the molecular level. In my group, we develop chemical probes to image dynamic events associated with immune cell function, from receptor-mediated endocytosis to metabolite uptake or intracellular reactions. We have validated our fluorophores to interrogate key events during inflammation and cancer, providing useful tools for mechanistic studies in cell biology as well as potential technologies to improve patient diagnosis and stratification in the clinic. Over the last 10 years, we have developed fluorophores that image specific processes in different immune cells, namely macrophages and T cells, either in the context of inflammatory diseases, cancer or metastasis. Our group is currently focused on creating new technologies to analyse the role that immune cells play in the tumour microenvironment (www.dynafluors.co.uk).

Dr Marc Vendrell graduated in Chemistry at the University of Barcelona in 2007. He then joined the Singapore Bioimaging Consortium to work with Young-Tae Chang in synthetic fluorophores for optical imaging. In 2012 he started his independent career as an MRC Academic Fellow at the University of Edinburgh. He is a Senior Lecturer in Biomedical Imaging and his main research interest is the development of activatable fluorophores for imaging cancer and inflammation. His research has been recognised with international awards and distinctions:  SEQT Young Investigator Award (2007), SBIC Chairman's Prize (2010), Marie Curie Fellowship (2013), UoE Contribution Award (2016), ERC Consolidator Grant (2017), Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (2017), Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (2018), Marcial Moreno Lectureship (2018), FLIER Fellowship from the Academy of Medical Sciences (2019), SRUK Emerging Talent Award (2019).