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The CLEXM project aims to create a new form of correlative multimodal imaging that is faster for researchers and gives more information about biological samples.
A pan-European project seeking to learn more about biomedical processes and diseases has secured €2.5m in EU funding.
The project aims to use new forms of correlative multimodal imaging (CMI) to achieve its goal. CMI is used to obtain a composite view of biological samples and learn more about their structure, dynamics, functions and chemical compositions.
Understanding more about structural and functional changes in cells can benefit disease and drug therapy researchers. One CMI technique is called correlative light and electron microscopy (CLEM), but the project’s researchers claim this technique is complex and slow.
The goal of the project is to combine CLEM with a third imaging technique called soft x-ray tomography, to make a form of imaging that is easier and faster for researchers. It is also hoped this will lead to a more complete view of disease and drug therapy processes.
The project, called CLEXM, involves seven partner organisations in four countries, with University College Dublin (UCD) acting as the project coordinator.
The four-year project has received funding by Horizon Europe under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Doctoral Network programme. This funding will be used to fund nine PhD candidate projects, three of which will be based in UCD.
Two of the projects will be supervised by UCD’s Prof Jeremy Simpson and Prof Oliver Blacque. Simpson said the CLEXM project will provide “high-level training” to a new generation of doctoral candidates, giving them the skills to have “thriving careers in high-growth areas”.
One of the partner organisations is SiriusXT, a UCD spin-out that has created its own lab-based soft x-ray microscope. The company received €2.35m in 2020 to develop this microscope and previously received €3m from the Horizon 2020 programme.
“Project CLEXM provides us with access to leading research talent, funding to achieve our development goals and an opportunity to collaborate with leading research organisations, many of whom are target customers for our microscope,” said SiriusXT CEO Tony McEnroe.
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