ABOUT

Understanding human health and disease requires structural insight across all scales, from the atomic to the tissue level, well beyond the classical boundaries of structural biology. Scattering and Imaging for Health Insights and New Evidence (SHINE) brings together expertise in electron microscopy and X-ray analysis to bridge the gap between molecular research and translational clinical applications, addressing fundamental questions in life, health, and disease.

The theme focuses on metabolic diseases, neurodegeneration, airway diseases, and transmittable diseases caused by viral and bacterial infections. By combining cryo-electron microscopy and tomography with synchrotron X-ray techniques, SHINE will develop integrated approaches that span the molecular, cellular, histological, and organ levels of organization. A particular priority is to facilitate clinicians and biomedical researchers in accessing and using large-scale facilities in Lund, including the cryo-EM infrastructure at MAX IV and the biomedical beamlines CoSAXS, BioMAX, and MicroMAX.

Across all of these aims, SHINE is committed to building lasting interdisciplinary collaborations that close critical knowledge gaps between basic science and clinical practice, maximizing the impact of existing capabilities and opening new avenues for diagnosis and treatment.

HAPPENING IN THEME

WorkING Group 1

Metabolic diseases

Working Group 1 focuses on understanding the physiology of metabolic organs and how they interact. The group combines expertise in functional follow-up studies with knowledge in imaging and structural biology, with the aim of developing integrated approaches that advance our understanding of metabolic disease. Through workshops and seminars, including outreach via the LUDC early career network, the group will expose both established and young researchers to the range of imaging and scattering techniques available at large-scale facilities.

WORKING GROUP 2

Airway diseases

Working Group 2 focuses on understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying airway diseases, including asthma, COPD, and allergic rhinitis, with the aim of translating findings into new clinical treatments. Bringing together experimental and clinical scientists from Lund, Stockholm, and Copenhagen, the group has access to a range of clinical samples including lung biopsies, epithelial brushes, bronchoalveolar lavage, and blood samples. Advanced imaging techniques will be used to elucidate the molecular interplay between local and systemic inflammation in airway diseases.

WORKING GROUP 3

Transmittable diseases

Working Group 3 focuses on using electron microscopy to study infection processes across scales, from the molecular to the cellular level, covering both bacterial infections and eukaryotic viruses. The group combines expertise in single-particle reconstruction and tomography with a shared interest in understanding how bacteria, viruses, and bacteriophages interact. A particular emphasis is placed on Sweden-Japan collaboration, with the aim of building a lasting research network, facilitating personnel exchange, and targeting international funding opportunities such as STINT, JSPS, MIRAI, and the Human Frontier Science Program. The overarching goal is to attract more clinical infection researchers to make use of the advanced imaging capabilities available at MAX IV.

WORKING GROUP 4

Neurodeqenerative diseases

Working Group 4 focuses on protein aggregation and proteinopathies in neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, Huntington's disease, and vascular dementia. The group studies disease processes across scales, from molecular aggregation and protein structure to cellular and tissue-level changes, including inflammatory responses triggered by protein aggregates and therapeutic approaches to facilitate their clearance. The aim is to attract and inspire more clinical and basic researchers to make use of the advanced imaging and scattering capabilities at MAX IV, supported by personnel exchange and joint grant applications.

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