Target Ovarian Cancer: Inside the Nicola Murray Centre

Target Ovarian Cancer is the only ovarian cancer charity working across all four nations of the UK, funding research, early diagnosis and support for women living with the disease. Its supporters rarely see where their donations go. The Nicola Murray Centre for Ovarian Cancer Research in Edinburgh is one of the places they fund, and a working laboratory is not somewhere the public can walk round.

We photographed two of the Centre’s laboratories in a single morning, along with stills of each piece of equipment and two short films, so the research team gave up only a few hours. The tour has now been rebuilt as one of our bespoke 360 virtual tours: 2 laboratories, 11 pieces of equipment, each with a photograph and a plain-English explanation, and 2 films, in an interface designed around Target Ovarian Cancer’s purple and teal. Below we walk through each feature and why it is there.

Inside the lab

The tour opens on a split screen: the charity’s logo, the Centre’s name, one line on what visitors will see, and the numbers, 2 laboratories, 11 pieces of equipment and 2 films. “Enter the laboratory” goes straight in, and a short film from Professor Charlie Gourley, who leads the Centre, can be watched first.

Every piece of equipment, numbered

Teal numbered markers sit on the equipment in each lab, each labelled with what it is for: imaging, genetics, sample preparation, liquid handling, storage and cell culture. Tabs at the bottom switch between Laboratory One and Laboratory Two and show how many items in each have been explored, and a “Next to explore” button works through them in order.

What it does, in plain English

Choosing a marker opens a panel with a close-up photograph, the item’s number, its lab and category, and a short explanation written for supporters rather than scientists. The microscope, for example, “magnifies samples up to 40 times”. A full-size photo is a tap away, and Previous and Next move round the lab.

Where a film tells the story better, it sits in the panel: in Laboratory Two, Dr Robb Hollis describes the process of growing cells at the sterile cabinet where it happens.

The equipment index

“Index” lays out all 11 pieces of equipment as photographs, grouped by laboratory, with the ones already explored ticked. A ring in the corner of the tour counts how many have been seen, so supporters can see the whole lab at a glance or go straight to one machine.

Help and a phone layout

A short guide explains looking around, the numbered points, the two labs and the index. On a phone the laboratory tabs move under the header, the equipment panel rises from the bottom of the screen, and the index becomes a two-column grid.

Showing supporters where the money goes

For a charity, a tour like this answers the question every donor has: what does my money pay for? It can be linked from appeals, shown at events and shared with corporate partners, and it is delivered as a self-contained website with no annual platform fee. If you would like something similar for your laboratory or research centre, take a look at our hospital and laboratory virtual tours or get in touch.

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