The University of Glasgow
Centre for the
Cellular Microenvironment
In this series of blogs we hear from students recently returned from academic placements about their experiences. Nadia Soulioti is a fourth-year PhD student under the supervision of Prof Delphine Gourdon. Hello, my name is Nadia Soulioti, and I am currently a fourth-year PhD student at CeMi. Last summer, I had the opportunity to undertake …
Recently, a group of ECRs from CeMi visited the ISIS Neutron and Muon Source at the STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory in Oxfordshire. The team travelled to use the neutron beam in small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) experiments to probe and investigate the structure of hydrogel matrices used to construct in vitro tissue models at the centre. …
Dr. Rebecca Ginesi shares her development of advanced techniques to characterise printed supramolecular hydrogels, uncovering how the 3D printing process impacts their microstructure and mechanical behaviour. Printable hydrogels are gaining interest in a wide variety of fields, from precision medicine to optoelectronics. One challenge in 3D printing is characterising these hydrogels post-printing. Furthermore, most reported …
On the 11th March, the Parliamentary & Scientific Committee hosted STEM for Britain 2025 in Portcullis House, at the Houses of Parliament. STEM for Britain gives Early Career Researchers (ECRs) an opportunity to present and discuss their ground-breaking research to Members of both Houses of Parliament at Westminster, and stimulates conversation and engagement both within …
Dr Olivia Johnson-Love introduces the novel method of vibration-based cell engineering in order to alter the fate of stem cells. Cells are highly responsive to mechanical cues in their microenvironment, modulating their behaviour through proliferation, differentiation, or morphological adaptation. This mechanosensitivity has been widely studied for directing stem cell differentiation and offers promising avenues for …
Dr Udesh Dhawan introduces some of his recent research on how integrins can be utilised in growth factor activation and the development of a mechanobiology-based bone regeneration platform. Integrins are specialised adhesion proteins that enable cells to attach and survive. Take away integrins, and we take away the ability of cells that rely on adhesion …