PHOQUS · PHOtonic tools for Quantitative imaging in tissUeS

The PHOtonic tools for Quantitative imaging in Cells and tissUeS IDP (PHOQUS) will seed a revolution in the development and application of novel imaging modalities and multimodalities to enable the quantitative investigation of biological processes at multiple size regimes from the molecular and cellular to the tissue and organ level scale , by training graduate Physicists and Biologists for the first time to integrate seamlessly photonics, nanotechnology, advanced spectroscopy and novel spectral regions with the latest advances in imaging and diagnostics technology. The photonics focus on new tools and sources will open up opportunities to investigate the mechanisms and nuclear dynamics that control spindle formation and chromosome separation during mitosis as well as cell migration dynamics and mechanics during early embryonic development and the development of cancer in the gut. This will provide a strong interdisciplinary component to the training programme, linking Dundee’s extensive and world-class expertise in Life Science and pioneering work in the Medical School. The training programme will lead automatically to advances and new knowledge on how to harness these new technologies, and new strategies. PHOQUS is strongly intersectoral, with close involvement of 10 Associated Industrial Partners and 9 Academic distributed over 7 European countries. Imaging science is key for the success of any fundamental or applied research programme aiming to uncover the complexities of the life at multiple scales and to finding new solutions to diseases and conditions. By developing ESRs as a cohort they will avoid becoming isolated in between physics and biology, developing a true identity as interdisciplinary scientists: essentially ""problem oriented physicists” or ""solution oriented biologists"". PHOQUS aims to develop researchers with the correct mindset to discover and address the big problems in biology from an early stage in their research careers.""