21st June 2019
A two-year research program at the University of Westminster in London is up and running with a grant of £351,332 from The Guy Foundation.
The study, led by Professor Jimmy Bell, is probing into how living organisms use light to communicate, detect and adapt to their environment and specifically, to find out more about the generation of low intensity light by cells during metabolism. To date research has been hindered by a lack of suitable technology but with recent advances in detectors and microscopes it is now becoming a reality. With the generosity of The Guy Foundation, the University of Westminster has put in place a powerful system that will enable more detailed investigations of possible biophotonic communication between cells and the effects that some medicines may have on this.
Professor Jimmy Bell said “This is a great opportunity for us to probe into some very fundamental metabolic events, which up to now have been outside the technical capability of most researchers.”
Dr Geoffrey Guy, Chairman of The Guy Foundation, said “I’m delighted to have awarded our first grant to such a ground-breaking study at the University of Westminster. The microscope that has been installed with our grant is only the second in the UK and will help to open the door for more exploratory research in this potentially exciting area.”