Expansion Microscopy Symposium hosted by Dr Dawson Ling 

Join us for a workshop exploring the principles, practical challenges and emerging applications of expansion microscopy, from method development and validation to imaging complex biological systems.

L7W Seminar Room

Join via TEAMS

Including Q&A session
 

Associate Professor Izzy Jayasinghe – UNSW Sydney

Introduction to Expansion Microscopy: Principles, Validation and Applications

This talk will introduce the principles of expansion microscopy, approaches to validating isotropic expansion, including self-assembling nanocages and geometry-preserving ExM plates and inserts, and applications across biological systems.

Izzy is Head of the Department of Molecular Medicine at UNSW Sydney. Her research focuses on developing optical microscopy techniques to investigate the nanoscale organisation of proteins, particularly in the heart. She has developed and applied techniques including DNA-PAINT and expansion microscopy to study pathological remodelling in the failing heart. She is a Fellow of the Royal Microscopical Society and a UKRI Future Leaders Fellow.

Dr Benjamin Liffner – University of Adelaide

Trials and Tribulations of Expansion Microscopy in Parasites

Using examples from malaria and other parasitic systems, Ben will discuss the practical challenges of applying expansion microscopy to parasites, how protocol variations and methodological adaptations can overcome these challenges, and how these approaches have enabled new insights into parasite cell biology.

Ben investigates the molecular mechanisms underlying cell organisation in Plasmodium malaria parasites and Cryptosporidium. Following his PhD at the University of Adelaide, studying malaria parasite invasion, he undertook postdoctoral research at Indiana University School of Medicine, investigating malaria parasite mitosis. His work combines cell biology with the development and application of advanced microscopy techniques.

Associate Professor Toby Bell – Monash University

Imaging in the Cell Nucleus with Expansion Microscopy

This talk will explore how expansion microscopy can be used to investigate the organisation of proteins and other molecular structures within the cell nucleus, highlighting the combination of physical expansion and fluorescence-based super-resolution imaging.

Toby is a Senior Lecturer in Physical and Analytical Chemistry at Monash University, where he leads the Bell Fluorescence Lab. His research focuses on developing and applying single-molecule fluorescence and super-resolution microscopy techniques, as well as fluorescence spectroscopy. His applications include investigating cellular responses to anticancer drugs, virus–host interactions and epigenetic organisation within the nucleus.

All Welcome!