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Vy Wien Lai
Held annually by the UKRI Medical Research Council (MRC) in partnership with the Medical Research Foundation (MRF), the Festive Science Image Competition challenges Foundation and MRC-funded researchers, staff, and students to produce a science image with direct relevance to medical research, combined with a festive theme. Three winners were selected, with the 1st place image chosen to feature on the Medical Research Foundation and MRC's joint Season's Greetings card for 2025. The cards can be ordered online by making a suggested donation to the Foundation.
This year’s 1st place image was submitted by Vy Wien Lai, a DPhil student in the Antanaviciute and Simmons Groups whose research focuses on characterising intestinal dysfunction in premature infants with necrotising enterocolitis (NEC).
Vy's image shows cross sections of intestinal tissue across human development – imagine slicing through a tube, a bit like a doughnut. The open space in the centre of each 'bauble' is called the lumen, where digested food passes through. The cells lining this space, called enterocytes, absorb nutrients from what we eat.
The gut’s inner surface folds into finger-like projections called villi and pockets called crypts, which increase the surface area for the absorption of nutrients. To create her colourful image, Vy used spatial transcriptomics - a technique that allows researchers to see which genes are active in different parts of the tissue.
Read the full story on the MRF website: https://www.medicalresearchfoundation.org.uk/news/its-beginning-to-look-a-lot-like-gutmas