Menu
MapConnectionsTopicsBulgariaThe Night (K-TRIO)Marie Skłodowska-CurieFor studentsFor teachersMethodologySurprise me
HEDoctoral network2023–2027

CLEXM · Collaborative development and dissemination of workflows and techniques for using Correlative Light, Electron and X-ray Microscopy to progress research into the understanding and treatment of diseases

Horizon Europe — Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

Duration
2023-09-01 → 2027-08-31
EU contribution
€2,480,594
Participants
13
Scheme
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-DN

Lines connect the coordinator with its partners.

Results in brief

Collaborative development and dissemination of workflows and techniques for using Correlative Light, Electron and X-ray Microscopy to progress research into the understanding and treatment of diseases

The CLEXM project responds to a growing need for advanced imaging workflows that capture biological processes at multiple scales with accuracy and reproducibility. Traditional approaches such as Correlative Light and Electron Microscopy (CLEM) provide valuable insights but face bottlenecks including artefacts, limited molecular context, and challenging sample preparation. Europe has prioritised innovation in life sciences and biomedical technologies, and CLEXM contributes directly to this agenda by enabling researchers to image cells and tissues in near-native states while combining structural and molecular detail. CLEXM pursues five objectives: (RO1) optimise reproducible cryo-sample preparation across imaging modalities; (RO2) demonstrate the benefits of multimodal workflows through various use case studies; (RO3) develop advanced computational tools for image correlation and analysis; (RO4) provide workshops and training events for CLEXM doctoral candidates; and (RO5) disseminate findings widely. Together, these objectives connect technical progress to societal impact. The project is already delivering. Workflows have revealed new insights into virus–host interactions, nanoparticle trafficking, and the molecular basis of hearing loss. Industrial partner SiriusXT advances impact further by pioneering the first benchtop soft X-ray microscope, ensuring knowledge transfer to real-world applications. Open access publishing, preprints, and outreach activities ensure early visibility, while sustainability is promoted through adoption and adherence to the MSCA Green Charter. By equipping young scientists with cutting-edge skills, CLEXM contributes not only to imaging science but also to Europe’s long-term goals of excellence, sustainability, and innovation.

Data: CORDIS, © European Union

Project objective

Correlative multimode imaging is the only way to reveal a composite view of a biological sample with the multidimensional information about its macro-, meso- and microscopic structure, dynamics, function and chemical composition that is required in order to understand biomedical processes and diseases.Project CLEXM addresses an urgent need to demonstrate, promote and disseminate the benefits of this technique in the fields of disease and drug therapy research and especially to early-career researchers. The premise of project CLEXM is that there is a growing need for disease and drug therapy researchers to understand the linkages between structural and functional changes that occur in a cell and to be able to observe these from the cellular (micrometre) to the molecular (nanometre) scale. Correlative Light and Electron Microscopy (CLEM) is the current state-of-the-art for achieving this, but the technique is extremely complex and slow. CLEXM postulates that the integration of a third imaging modality, Soft X-ray Tomography (SXT), into CLEM will make it easier and faster for researchers to correlate cellular structure with cellular function. Correlative Light, Electron and X-ray Microscopy (CLEXM) can be combined in a number of ways and the benefits will be demonstrated in a number of different use cases. This would be too difficult and too much to achieve as a single research project or as a single MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowship, however, it lends itself to be most easily achieved as a network of complementary individual projects, under an MSCA Doctoral Network action.The overarching objective of project CLEXM is to provide high-level training in the field of correlative multimode imaging to a new generation of doctoral candidates to provide them with the transferrable skills necessary for thriving careers in a high-growth area that will aid researchers in their quest to understand disease and to develop effective therapies.

Original text from CORDIS.

Participants

  • UNIVERSITY COLLEGE DUBLIN, NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF IRELAND, DUBLIN · DublinCoordinatorIreland
  • AGENCIA ESTATAL CONSEJO SUPERIOR DE INVESTIGACIONES CIENTIFICAS · MadridSpain
  • CONSORCIO PARA LA CONSTRUCCION EQUIPAMIENTO Y EXPLOTACION DEL LABORATORIO DE LUZ SINCROTRON · Cerdanyola Del Valles BarcelonaSpain
  • HOCHSCHULE AALEN - TECHNIK UND WIRTSCHAFT · AalenGermany
  • INSTITUT PASTEUR · ParisFrance
  • KARLSRUHER INSTITUT FUER TECHNOLOGIE · KarlsruheGermany
  • RUPRECHT-KARLS-UNIVERSITAET HEIDELBERG · HeidelbergGermany
  • SIRIUSXT LIMITED · DublinIreland
  • SORBONNE UNIVERSITE · ParisFrance
  • SYNCHROTRON SOLEIL SOCIETE CIVILE · SAINT AUBINFrance
  • UNIVERSITAT AUTONOMA DE BARCELONA · Cerdanyola Del VallesSpain
  • UNIVERSITE PARIS CITE · ParisFrance
  • UNIVERSITE PARIS-SACLAY · Gif-Sur-YvetteFrance

Links

Data: CORDIS, © European Union