Dr.
Simon C. Watkins
Department of Cell Biology and Physiology
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
Pittsburgh, PA
In the post-genomic era of biomedical research understanding the functionality of molecules at the cellular and subcellular level in living systems will become predominant. In this era we must move beyond static “snapshots” of the cellular state to an understanding of the biology of cells over time and in 3-dimensional-space. Within the cellular environment it is expected that we will be able to study the expression, the functional role(s) and interactions of multiple unique molecules concurrently. Furthermore, it will be desirable to determine the effects of these molecules on cell development, organization and fate over extended periods of time. To perform these types of studies it is necessary to develop new methodologies that will allow multiparametric analysis of cells while maintaining their functional viability. In the past this goal would have been extraordinarily difficult to achieve. However, developments in optical and computational technology have empowered modern microscopists to undertake these previously forbidding tasks. The seminar given will focus on the technical advantages and limitations of novel optical imaging tools and will discuss the expectations and limitations within the context of current scientific problems in cancer diagnosis and therapy.
Dr. Watkins received his B.S.C. in Zoology from Hull University, England in 1979, and the Ph.D. in Neurobiology from Newcastle University, England in 1983. From 1983-1991, Dr. Watkins held research fellow and research associate positions with the Pasteur Institute in Paris and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute of Harvard Medical School in Boston. Since 1991, Dr. Watkins has been affiliated with the University of Pittsburgh in a number of positions, including assistant and associate professor in the Departments of Neurobiology, Anatomy and Cell Science and of Cell Biology and Physiology (CBP), Director of the graduate program in CBP, founder and director of the Center for Biologic Imaging, and full professor in the Departments of Cell Biology and Physiology and of Immunology. He is a member of the Microscopy Society of America, and has chaired several sessions and short courses at M&M meeting, and has well over 250 refereed publications. In addition, he is a member of the Royal College of Pathologists, and a visiting professor at the University of Western Australia. In 2000 he was awarded an honorary Ph.D. from the University of Umea, Sweden.