MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine
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imm.ox.ac.uk
MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine
@imm.ox.ac.uk
The MRC WIMM is a research institute at the University of Oxford with 5 core research areas: rare diseases, haematology, immunology and infection, stem cells and developmental biology and cancer biology.

www.imm.ox.ac.uk
#WIMMinFocus

Have you ever thought the human #gut could look this beautiful?

This is adult human colon tissue stained with multiple markers, revealing its intricate structure 🧪

Beauty of Our Gut by Marta Jagielowicz
2025 WIMM Image Competition

#SciComm @ndm.ox.ac.uk @medsci.ox.ac.uk
January 14, 2026 at 10:04 AM
#ScientistSpotlight 🧪

This week we’re featuring Hans Ng, a postdoctoral researcher in the Anne Goriely Lab at the #MRCWIMM.

@sciencehans.bsky.social @agoriely.bsky.social @medsci.ox.ac.uk @rdm.ox.ac.uk
January 13, 2026 at 10:09 AM
#MethodMonday 🧪

So… how does #MassCytometry actually work? 🤔

1. Cells are stained with antibodies tagged to rare heavy metals
2. Each cell is vaporised and ionised in a plasma
3. Ions are separated by their mass and detected in a time-of-flight (TOF) mass spectrometer
January 12, 2026 at 10:26 AM
#WIMMinFocus
A sea glass at sunset?

Nope, it's an epoxy model of the human nicotinic acetylcholine receptor based on the resting state structure (PDB: 9GU0), photographed on Mordialloc Beach 🧪

Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor on the Beach by Anna Li
@ndcnoxford.bsky.social @medsci.ox.ac.uk
January 7, 2026 at 9:48 AM
#ScientistSpotlight
This week we’re introducing Benjamin McMaster, a DPhil student at Hashem Koohy's Group here at the #MRCWIMM.

@rdm.ox.ac.uk @medsci.ox.ac.uk @benjamin-mcmaster.bsky.social
January 6, 2026 at 9:16 AM
#MethodMonday From now on, each week, we’ll highlight a different research method used at the #MRCWIMM, breaking down how it works and why it’s important. 🧪

Here we go!

Ever wondered how scientists can measure dozens of proteins on a single cell? #MassCytometry makes this possible!
January 5, 2026 at 11:10 AM
And we are back!

Fresh into the new year and straight into #WorldIntrovertDay.
To our colleagues at the #MRCWIMM who may not love our cameras but still tolerate us kindly, we see you and we appreciate you.

And as promised, we will not be tagging our colleague in this post. 💙🧪

#CameraShy
January 2, 2026 at 9:46 AM
Season's Greetings from all of us here at the MRC WIMM!

From molecules to twinkling light,
the WIMM is glowing bright tonight.
Happy holidays to all — we’re now signing out,
back on 2 January, refreshed throughout.
December 23, 2025 at 4:00 PM
We’re incredibly proud of our Sustainability Team for being recognised at the LEAF Oxford Forum yesterday.

#WIMMHighlights #WIMMCommunity #LEAFOxForum
@ox.ac.uk @medsci.ox.ac.uk
December 17, 2025 at 11:58 AM
#WIMMinFocus
Looks like a distant planet in deep space.
It is actually the edge of a cell #nucleus expanded in gel to reveal #chromatin in blue and sites of #DNA replication in red.

The Nuclear Sponge by George Lister
2025 WIMM Image Competition
#SciComm
@rdm.ox.ac.uk @medsci.ox.ac.uk
December 17, 2025 at 10:10 AM
#ScientistSpotlight
This week we’re introducing Anna Li, a postdoctoral researcher in the Yin Dong Lab at the #MRCWIMM.

@ndcnoxford.bsky.social @medsci.ox.ac.uk

#WIMMSpotlight #WIMMCommunity #StructuralBiology #CryoEM #IonChannels #Neuroscience

Photo credit: Susan Maxwell
December 16, 2025 at 9:54 AM
#WIMMinFocus
This swirling scene shows fibrotic and non-fibrotic granuloma in sarcoidosis lung.

Each colour marks a cell type, revealing fibroblasts, pro fibrotic macrophages, CD four T cells and alveolar epithelium.

#SciComm @ndm.ox.ac.uk @medsci.ox.ac.uk
December 10, 2025 at 10:46 AM
#ScientistSpotlight
This week we’re featuring Naeema Mehmood, a #DPhil student in the De Bruijn Group at the MRC WIMM.

@rdm.ox.ac.uk @medsci.ox.ac.uk
December 9, 2025 at 9:48 AM
#WIMMinFocus
May look like a dino egg swallowed a disco ball.
But it's actually an intestinal #organoid glowing in cyan, magenta and yellow to show #nuclei, E cadherin and Zonula Occludens one.

Disco Intestinal Organoid by Dimitrios Ioannidis
#SciArt runner up, 2025 #WIMMImageCompetition.

#SciComm
December 3, 2025 at 9:34 AM
#ScientistSpotlight

This week’s spotlight features Kexin Xu, a DPhil student in the Agne Antanaviciute Group at the MRC WIMM. Kexin is a biologist who taught herself machine learning and deep learning.

@rdm.ox.ac.uk @medsci.ox.ac.uk
December 2, 2025 at 10:12 AM
#WIMMinFocus
These #megakaryocytes show six strange shapes as they respond to Galectin one. Their actin cytoskeleton is stained to reveal this variety.
Six of a Kind by Natalie Jooss
Honourable Mention, 2025 WIMM Image Competition.
#SciComm @rdm.ox.ac.uk @medsci.ox.ac.uk
November 26, 2025 at 1:25 PM
#ScientistSpotlight
This week’s spotlight features Pei Rong Toh, a DPhil student in the Hal Drakesmith Group at the #MRCWIMM

@drakesmith-lab.bsky.social @medsci.ox.ac.uk @rdm.ox.ac.uk
November 25, 2025 at 9:45 AM
#WIMMinFocus
These shapes look like tiny sea creatures but they are healthy #platelets with bright pockets of #DNA in red. This image won the Eureka category of the 2025 WIMM Image Contest. Captured with a ZEISS LSM980 inverted confocal microscope with Airyscan detection.
#Microscopy #SciArt
November 19, 2025 at 3:01 PM
#ScientistSpotlight: This week we’re introducing Verena Körber, one of the newest Group Leaders at the MRC WIMM.

@rdm.ox.ac.uk @medsci.ox.ac.uk @ox.ac.uk
November 18, 2025 at 9:43 AM
#WIMMinFocus
Not a T.rex but a pretentious gut tissue!
Spatial transcriptomics mapped 5,100 genes at subcellular resolution.
Captured by @vywien-lai.bsky.social, winner of the 2025 WIMM Image Competition ( #SciArt).
Proof that science doesn’t just uncover life’s mysteries — it gives you dinosaurs 🦕
November 12, 2025 at 10:07 AM
#ScientistSpotlight
This week, we’re featuring Sumana Sharma, one of our newest Group Leaders here at the MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine (MRC WIMM).

@rdm.ox.ac.uk @medsci.ox.ac.uk
#WIMMCommunity #Immunology #TCells #SystemsBiology #CRISPR #MRCWIMM
November 11, 2025 at 9:58 AM
#ScientistSpotlight
This week, we’d like to give a special shout-out to Dr Abdullah Khan who recently started his own research group after being awarded a Wellcome Career Development Award! 🎉

@abattacks.bsky.social @rdm.ox.ac.uk @medsci.ox.ac.uk @wellcometrust.bsky.social
November 4, 2025 at 10:47 AM
We're hiring! An exciting opportunity has arisen to join us as Digital Communications Officer 📹 💻

This role will work closely with our Comms & Public Engagement Officer to support the delivery of our communication strategy and produce in-house audio-visual content.

Apply here: bit.ly/4jIheOt
May 29, 2025 at 8:45 AM