Building Tools to Reveal Biology’s Hidden Interactions
Some scientists focus on answering biological questions. Others build the tools that make those answers possible. Hudson is passionate about doing both.
When he is at the bench, much of his work revolves around developing experimental systems and analytical approaches that allow researchers to see biological interactions that are otherwise too small, too dynamic, or too complex to observe directly.
Making the invisible visible
One recent example comes from the fascinating world of bacteriophages (viruses that infect bacteria). At first glance, the question seems simple: How does a phage recognize and attach to a bacterial cell in the first place? But observing these very first steps of infection at the molecular level is far from straightforward.
To tackle this challenge, Hudson developed a platform based on native supported lipid bilayers (nSLBs) containing Salmonella lipopolysaccharides. The system provides a simplified, yet biologically relevant, model of the bacterial outer membrane, creating a controlled environment in which the earliest stages of phage–host interactions can be observed.
By stripping away the complexity of a living bacterium, the nSLBs system allows researchers to zoom in on the molecular details of recognition and attachment (and ultimately understand what determines whether infection begins).
Beyond shedding new light on virus–bacteria interactions, the work opens new possibilities for studying phage biology and developing future phage-based antimicrobial strategies.
Read more about the study here.
From building tools to helping others build theirs
Hudson’s contribution to research extends beyond developing experimental platforms. His role as co-supervisor of Lewis Murugu highlights another important part of his work: supporting early-career researchers as they develop new approaches and take the lead on their own scientific projects.
In their recent publication, Lewis developed a workflow for the quantitative analysis of T-cell immune synapses (the highly organized contact zones where T cells communicate, activate, and coordinate immune responses).
Understanding how proteins are organized within these structures can provide important insights into how immune cells sense information and make decisions. Together, the team developed a robust image-processing and analysis workflow for studying the spatial organization of LFA-1, a key molecule involved in T-cell activation, using Total Internal Reflection Fluorescence (TIRF) microscopy.
The resulting protocol turns complex microscopy datasets into quantitative measurements, giving researchers a reproducible framework for investigating immune-cell behaviour.
Read more about the study here.
For Hudson, this publication represents more than a scientific contribution. It also reflects his commitment to mentoring the next generation of researchers in how to design novel analytical workflows to tackle challenging biological questions.
