University of St Andrews’ imaging project receives €150,000 grant

A new project at the University of St Andrews has been selected for a prestigious European Research Council Proof of Concept grant.

The Holographic Integrated Photonics Platform for the Optical Analysis of Biological Samples (HIPPO) project will receive €150,000 to help develop integrated imaging platforms for biophotonic applications, such as the high throughput screening of cells and proteins in microfluidic environments.

The Synthetic Optics team at St Andrews, led by Professor Andrea Di Falco from the School of Physics and Astronomy, plans to produce compact devices based on an innovative technology that will help biologists better analyse their samples.

Professor Di Falco said: “We are delighted that our HIPPO project has been selected for funding. HIPPO will help us translate the research on holographic metasurfaces carried out in the context of our ERC project AMPHIBIANS into a technological platform that can be readily adopted by end users.

“Our technology allows for seamless integration with existing lab equipment and workflows, enabling researchers to easily incorporate our platform into their existing projects. This makes it an ideal solution for a variety of research and clinical applications, including drug discovery, disease diagnosis, and personalized medicine.

“Overall, our integrated imaging platform offers an innovative solution to the challenges of modern imaging, providing a valuable tool for researchers seeking to push the boundaries of scientific discovery and clinical care.”