News
Scotland’s First CyTOF XT Arrives at the University of Dundee to Power Single-Cell Research
Funded through a prestigious UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship awarded to Dr Ralitsa Madsen, the CyTOF XT will be the first of its kind available to all researchers across Scotland.
Published on 10 April 2025
Dr Ralitsa Madsen with the CyTOF XT instrument within the School of Life Sciences Fingerprints Proteomics Facility
The University of Dundee is proud to announce the arrival of Scotland’s first CyTOF XT instrument. The FingerPrints Proteomics Facility staff are currently undergoing training on the new instrument, with full operation expected within the next two months. The launch of this platform marks a major step in Dr Madsen’s long-term vision to establish a Scottish single-cell signalling hub within the School of Life Sciences.
Dr Madsen’s research focuses on the quantitative systems biology of the PI3K pathway, with a particular interest in how activating mutations in PIK3CA (such as H1047R) affect cellular decision-making. These mutations are known to play a critical role in diseases such as cancer and PIK3CA-related overgrowth spectrum (PROS).
The CyTOF XT will enable her team to explore how aberrant signalling disrupts normal cell behaviour and to develop “state-gating” therapeutic strategies — approaches aimed at restoring healthy signalling dynamics rather than simply blocking disease-causing pathways.
The instrument offers several key advantages:
- High-dimensional single-cell analysis: Measuring over 40 markers per cell with minimal signal overlap.
- Dynamic signalling capture: Ideal for tracking rapid, transient events that are difficult to study using conventional techniques.
- Scalability and throughput: Automation and reproducibility make it suitable for large-scale translational studies.
Researchers interested in combining single-cell analysis with in-depth proteomic profiling are encouraged to explore the capabilities of the FingerPrints Proteomics Facility, Dundee’s world-class hub for mass spectrometry-based analysis. The facility provides expert support for both UK-based and international researchers.