The latest Business updates from the science industry


Microscopy & Microtechniques by Gwyneth Astles


Quantum material’s giant stretch confirms 100-year-old prediction


Researchers at the University of St Andrews have pushed the boundaries of nanoscale imaging to confi rm a physics prediction almost 100 years old - thanks to cutting-edge ultra-low temperature scanning tunneling microscopy (STM).


In a study [1] published in Nature Physics, the team investigated magnetoelastic coupling - the tiny way materials change shape under magnetic fi elds - in a surprising candidate: a transition metal oxide. These oxides are central to advanced materials like high-temperature superconductors, but the magnetoelastic effects here were far larger than expected.


Using bespoke STM instruments housed in


ultra-quiet, ultra-stable vibration-free labs, the scientists detected atomic-scale shifts as tiny as a few hundred femtometres - that’s a millionth


of a nanometre, or roughly one quadrillionth of a meter. This extraordinary precision allowed them to observe how subtle changes in magnetic alignment dramatically stretch or contract the material’s crystal lattice.


The fi ndings confi rm the Bethe-Slater curve, a foundational theory from the 1930s describing the relationship between magnetism and atomic spacing - but in this complex oxide material, something remarkable happened. The measured structural changes were much larger than existing models predicted, revealing new physics at the atomic scale.


Lead researcher Dr Carolina Marques explained: “Our STM setup let us separate the magnetization of the surface layer from the bulk material, enabling direct measurement of electronic


and structural changes with unprecedented precision. This could open the door to innovative ways of reading magnetic states electronically or structurally - a breakthrough for future data storage technology.”


Professor Peter Wahl added: “This work not only validates nearly a century of theory but also


highlights the intricate dance between


structure, electron correlations, and magnetism in quantum materials. Mastering these effects through advanced microscopy could accelerate the development of greener, more stable superconductors and novel quantum devices.”


More information online: ilmt.co/PL/nX50


1. ‘Emergent exchange-driven giant magnetoelastic coupling in a correlated itinerant ferromagnet’ published in Nature Physics


Electromagnetic coupling. Credit: Carolina de Almeida Marques


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Mass photometry gains USP recognition for AAV characterisation


Mass photometry, a single-particle light-scattering technique commercialised and advanced by Refeyn, has been acknowledged by the US Pharmacopeia (USP) as a key orthogonal method for characterising adeno-associated virus (AAV) reference standards used in gene therapy. This recognition is refl ected in the draft of USP general chapter <1067>, which provides guidelines for the manufacture and quality control of recombinant AAV products.


Accurate measurement of the ratio of empty to full AAV capsids is critical for ensuring the safety and effi cacy of gene therapies. The new USP standards, developed through multi-laboratory collaboration,


recommend multiple orthogonal techniques to assess this quality attribute. Mass photometry was included alongside established methods such as size exclusion chromatography with multi-angle light scattering (SEC-MALS), analytical ultracentrifugation (AUC), UV-visible spectroscopy, and charge detection mass spectrometry (CD-MS).


The USP highlights mass photometry’s capability to distinguish empty, full, and partially fi lled capsids with minimal sample requirements, supporting its use as a reliable analytical tool in gene therapy development. This follows similar recognition by the British


Pharmacopeia in 2024, which described mass photometry as a viable option for at-line process monitoring of AAV products.


These developments refl ect the growing acceptance of advanced analytical techniques for detailed characterisation of viral vectors, contributing to improved standardisation and quality assurance in gene therapy research and manufacturing.


More information online: ilmt.co/PL/j9Rv 65017pr@reply-direct.com


New scientific appointments strengthen editorial board


The Journal of Microscopy has welcomed two new Scientifi c Editors to its editorial board: Professor Dylan Owen from the University of Birmingham, UK, and Dr Venera Weinhardt from Heidelberg University, Germany.


Professor Owen is Interdisciplinary Chair of Immunology and Mathematics at the University of Birmingham. With a background in physics and chemical biology, he completed his PhD in biomedical imaging at Imperial College London in 2008, developing spectral and lifetime fl uorescence microscopy to study membrane biophysics. His postdoctoral work at the University of New South Wales in the lab of the late Professor Katharine Gaus focused on single-molecule localisation microscopy (SMLM) and fl uorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS) in T cell signalling.


He established his own lab at King’s College London in 2013, advancing SMLM analysis methods and imaging applications in immunology. His current research includes AI-driven bioimage


organismal structure. With over a decade of experience in life science applications of in vivo imaging, novel contrast mechanisms, and high-throughput analysis workfl ows, she has contributed signifi cantly to both imaging hardware and computational workfl ows.


Dylan Owen and Venera Weinhardt. Credit: RMS


analysis and community data sharing, bridging the gap between immunology, mathematics, and advanced microscopy.


Dr Venera Weinhardt leads a research group at Heidelberg University’s Centre for Organismal Studies, specialising in advanced X-ray imaging techniques to study cellular and


She was awarded a fellowship through the Walter Benjamin Program of the German Research Foundation, joining Prof Carolyn Larabell’s lab at UCSF and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, where she advanced soft X-ray microscopy to study infected and healthy cells. Dr Weinhardt is also leading work in lab-based soft X-ray tomography (SXT), supported by the EU’s CoCID project, and is developing complementary imaging modalities such as axial super-resolution fl uorescence microscopy through the MSCA-funded CLEXM network.


More information online: ilmt.co/PL/Lw7R 65067pr@reply-direct.com


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