The McWilliams lab is driven to understand the striking heterogeneity of tissue-specific autophagy signalling in mammalian health and disease. We have a particular interest in how autophagy regulates mitochondrial integrity in vivo, with an integrative approach that combines molecular mechanistic discovery in cell-based models with rigorously deciphering the physiological significance of our observations in transgenic and pre-clinical models. Our research is highly multidisciplinary, and we combine a plethora of approaches in molecular cell biology with sophisticated transgenic strategies, gene editing and advanced methods in biomedical imaging. We benefit greatly from the well-resourced and outstanding platforms in Helsinki, with in-house expertise in single cell transcriptomics, metabolomics, genome editing, organoid approaches, state-of-the-art in vivo imaging and electron microscopy. Being embedded within one of Europe's leading medical campuses, we enjoy close collaborative links with exceptional clinical researchers and scientists who partner with us in our quest to make a meaningful impact at the interface between discovery and translation.