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Researcher Society

About Us

Run by and for researchers, The DPAG Researcher Society aims to promote interactions between postdocs, research assistants and other research scientists to create a friendly network of skills and expertise and to welcome new researchers to the Department.

All researchers will be added automatically to a mailing list when they start to be kept up to date with events etc.

Researcher News

On the left is an example of data collected using a line-scan confocal microscope. A single line through the cell is scanned within repeatedly (ca. 500 times per second), and calcium indicator fluorescence is recorded. Time goes from top to bottom and the location along the cell length is left-to-right. When single sparks recruit further sparks, this can lead to the emergence of propagating calcium wave, as shown starting near the middle of the cell and propagating to the left. The right panel shows how SparkMaster 2 detects calcium sparks, miniwaves, and waves. For each of the recorded events, the software records numerous event properties, such as location, size, amplitude, dynamics of rise and fall of fluorescence to a spreadsheet, for further analyses.

Pioneering new software to analyse intracellular calcium signals

A collaborative team of UC Davis and University of Oxford researchers have developed an innovative new software tool – SparkMaster 2 – which will enable automatic analysis of calcium sparks which are known to cause cardiac arrythmias in a variety of disease settings. First and co-corresponding author Dr Jakub Tomek, who is a Sir Henry Wellcome Fellow based in DPAG's Zaccolo group, conducted this research as part of his fellowship year spent at UC Davis.

DPAG and Biochemistry inspire local children with second Science in the Park event

On Tuesday 25 July, more than 140 children together with around 60 parents and caregivers were treated to a thrilling variety of hands-on science activities in University Parks. ‘Science in the Park’ was run by DPAG’s Outreach and Public Engagement Working Group (OPEWG), in collaboration with the Department of Biochemistry, with 30 volunteers comprising research scientists, graduate students and professional services staff.

BHF Fellowship for Ian McCracken could pave the way to promoting blood vessel growth in heart attack patients

Congratulations are in order for Dr Ian McCracken, a postdoctoral research scientist in the Smart Group, who has been awarded an Immediate Postdoctoral Basic Science Research Fellowship by the British Heart Foundation (BHF). His fellowship project aims to improve understanding of the mechanisms underpinning the formation of the coronary vessels and reveal novel targets for future therapeutic strategies to drive neovascularisation.

Thamali Ayagama wins Physiology 2023 Poster Prize

Congratulations are in order to Dr Thamali Ayagama who has been awarded the Physiological Reports Poster Prize at Physiology 2023, The Physiological Society's premier Annual Conference.

Researcher Spotlight for South Asian Heritage Month: Dr Kalina Naidoo

South Asian Heritage Month, running from 18 July - 17 August each year, aims to commemorate, and celebrate, South Asian cultures, histories and communities, helping to spread awareness of the diverse heritage and cultures that continue to link the UK with South Asia. Here at DPAG, we are celebrating the stories that make up our diverse and vibrant community. Meet Dr Kalina Naidoo, a Postdoctoral Neuronal Cell Biologist working in the Wade-Martins Group based in the Kavli Institute for Nanoscience Discovery (Kavli INsD).

More News

Latest publications

Cerebral blood flow as a mechanistic framework across neurological disease

Journal article

Patel S. et al, (2026), Discover Neuroscience, 21

Beyond “non-significant” results: Why and how to test for practical equivalence

Journal article

Tomek J. et al, (2026), Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 123

Label-free biochemical imaging and time point analysis of neural organoids via deep learning-enhanced Raman microspectroscopy.

Journal article

Georgiev D. et al, (2026), Sci Adv, 12

Proximal Junctional Failure After Adult Spinal Deformity Surgery: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Predictive Risk Factors.

Journal article

Patel S. et al, (2026), Spine (Phila Pa 1976)

Selective GRAB sensors reveal distinct endocannabinoid dynamics in vivo

Preprint

Cai R. et al, (2026)

Revisiting the Gold–Carbon Stretching Frequency: Spectroscopic and Computational Analysis of N -Heterocyclic Carbene Monolayers on Nanostructured Gold Surfaces

Journal article

Albino M. et al, (2026), Nano Letters, 26, 10115 - 10122

Author Correction: The perineurium integrates leptin with its sympathetic outflow to protect against obesity.

Journal article

Sarker G. et al, (2026), Nat Metab

Implementing prospective probabilistic scheduling of surgical cases to yield more predictable utilisations.

Journal article

Freer M. et al, (2026), J Anesth

α-Synuclein blocks endoplasmic reticulum co-translational protein translocation early in Parkinson's disease.

Journal article

Lam CL. et al, (2026), Nat Commun, 17

Defining the underlying pathology of corticobasal syndrome using clinical features and biomarkers.

Journal article

Vaughan DP. et al, (2026), Brain

More Publications