Group leader, Dr Senthil Arumugam joins Single Molecule Science to learn how to reroute cargoes like viruses inside cells so they can be destroyed by the host, rather than cause tissue damage and infect neighbouring cells. If we know which molecules direct viruses through the cellular volume to specific intracellular organelles, we can target them to treat viral infections, says Senthil.

He plans to follow the entire journey of viruses inside host cells to learn how they interact with the cells to gain entry, and move around inside – something previously not possible with traditional imaging techniques.

Senthil tracked the journey of toxins entering cells using lattice light-sheet microscopy during his sabbatical at Harvard Medical School – as part of his postdoctoral training at the Curie Institute in Paris. This technology enabled high resolution, 3-D long-term imaging, perfect for his current research goals.

Drawn to SMS because all the tools he needed were in one place here – including a lattice light-sheet microscope, Senthil is now looking forward to building new collaborations. The existing SMS groups are experts at imaging techniques, and many research groups at UNSW specialise in virology. This is the ideal place for him to establish his research program.

– Sue Min Liu