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Department of Pathology

 

Dr Luay Joudeh is an interdisciplinary scientist with deep expertise in biochemistry, biophysics, and advanced microscopy. His research spans the molecular mechanisms of DNA replication and repair, as well as the development and application of cutting-edge imaging technologies to interrogate biological processes at high resolution.

With a strong foundation in single-molecule imaging, Luay has developed and applied a wide range of techniques, including Förster Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET), single-particle tracking, super-resolution microscopy, and optical tweezers–based confocal microscopy. He has also pioneered applications of label-free force spectroscopy to study molecular interactions and conformational dynamics in real time.

In recent years, Luay has expanded his expertise into cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM), particularly single-particle analysis, and is currently leading the establishment of cryo-confocal correlative imaging workflows in Cambridge. His goal is to integrate these approaches with cryo-electron tomography (cryo-ET) and 3D cellular imaging to enable high-resolution structural and contextual insights into pathogen–host interactions and intracellular architecture.

He is a strong advocate for methodological innovation and cross-disciplinary collaboration, and currently manages the Pathogen Cryo-Imaging Facility (PaCIFiC) at the University of Cambridge, helping researchers across the biological sciences access advanced cryogenic imaging platforms.

For a full list of publications and further information, please visit his ORCID profile.

 

Areas of Interest

Cryo-Confocal, CryoCLEM and CryoEM
Subcellular Architecture & Host-Pathogen Interactions
DNA Replication, Recombination & Repair
Single Molecule Imaging

Publications

Key publications: 

Structural mechanism of strand exchange by the RAD51 filament

Luay Joudeh, Robert E Appleby, Joseph D Maman & Luca Pellegrini

eLife. May 27, 2025. DOI:10.7554/eLife.107114.1 © 2025, Joudeh et al.


RAD51 protects abasic sites to prevent replication fork breakage

Yodhara Wijesekara Hanthi, Miguel Angel Ramirez-Otero, Robert Appleby, Anna De Antoni, Luay Joudeh, Vincenzo Sannino, Salli Waked, Alessandra Ardizzoia, Viviana Barra, Daniele Fachinetti, Luca Pellegrini & Vincenzo Costanzo

Molecular Cell. Aug 22, 2024. DOI:10.1016/j.molcel.2024.07.004


Structural basis for stabilisation of the RAD51 nucleoprotein filament by BRCA2

Robert Appleby, Luay Joudeh, Katie Cobbett & Luca Pellegrini

Nature Communications. Nov 02, 2023. DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-42830-1


A metal ion-dependent mechanism of RAD51 nucleoprotein filament disassembly

Robert Appleby, Daniel Bollschweiler, Dimitri Y. Chirgadze, Luay Joudeh & Luca Pellegrini

iScience. May 19, 2023. DOI:10.1016/j.isci.2023.106689


 

Microscopy Manager
PaCIFiC at Pathology
CryoEM Facility at Biochemistry

Contact Details

Department of Pathology
University of Cambridge
10 Tennis Court Road
CB2 1QP
Available for consultancy

Affiliations

Classifications: