Researchers

Dr Brian Caffrey

Postdoctoral Scientist

About

Brian leads the development of novel imaging methods at the Franklin, combining liquid-phase electron microscopy, spectroscopy, and correlative techniques to study biological processes in situ. His research interests include integrating computational and advanced imaging.

Brian graduated with a BSc in Chemistry from University College Dublin (IRL). His undergraduate research involved work on inorganic carbene-metal complexes for heavy metal recovery, developing near-infrared fluorescent labels for damage free medical imaging and creating phage display libraries for nanoparticle characterisation. He also gained industry experience working on pharmaceutical chemical engineering projects at APC Ltd. These formative experiences fuelled his interest in the molecular basis of disease and in creating tools to better understand and treat it.

He was awarded a joint Wellcome Trust / NIH PhD studentship, completing his doctorate in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology between the National Cancer Institute (USA) and the University of British Columbia (CA). His PhD focused on developing 3D electron microscopy methods to interrogate molecular and organellar structures involved in cancer, aging and neurodegenerative disease. Notably, his cryo-EM work on the p97 ATPase revealed mechanisms of allosteric inhibition and supported the development of therapeutic candidates that progressed to preclinical testing.

After completing his PhD, Brian worked at Gandeeva Therapeutics (CA), applying cryo-EM structure-aided drug design and developing mammalian cell-based assays for screening therapeutics.

Projects and Platforms

Aberration-corrected transmission electron microscope

Ruska is an aberration-corrected transmission electron microscope (TEM) used to explore novel methods to study radiation sensitive specimens such as biological materials that have been cryogenically preserved or encapsulated in liquid for dynamic observations.

Chromatic Correction

Knoll, the first chromatic aberration-corrected electron microscope in the UK housed at the Franklin, will push the current resolution limits for biological samples by correcting energy variations in the electron beam.

Liquid Phase Electron Microscopy and Spectroscopy

Transient, dynamic assemblies of biomolecules in solution are the primary driving forces behind biology. However, studying these at high resolutions requires the use of electron microscopes (EM), which need extremely high vacuums to function.

Publications