Biomedical Imaging Research Unit
BIRU Mini-Symposium 2025
The BIRU is holding a Mini-Symposium to be held on Tuesday 25 November from 2pm funded by the Research Platform Use and Development Fund. The aim is to introduce researchers to four different technologies through a series of short presentations.
Four topics will be covered as listed below.
- Stimulated emission depletion microscopy
- Transmission electron microscopy
- Flow cytometry (cell sorting)
- Light sheet fluorescence microscopy
The format for the event will be that an overview of the technology and the system available in BIRU will be provided by a staff member from BIRU. This will be followed by a presentation by a researcher using the technology to further their own research.
Refreshments will be provided at the completion of the talks and there will be an opportunity for discussion and networking. The event will conclude with the presentation of the awards for the 2025 BIRU annual image competition.
A draft programme is given below.
Please complete this form if you would like to attend.
Draft programme
| Time | Title | Speaker |
| 2pm -2:15pm | Welcome, introduction and news | Dr David Crossman, BIRU Director, Dept of Physiology |
| 2:15pm - 2:25pm | Stimulated Emission Depletion (STED) Microscopy - how it works + our system | Dr David Crossman, BIRU Director, Dept of Physiology |
| 2:25pm - 2:35pm | STED Microscopy - Research focus 'Adherens junctions as master regulators of vesicle trafficking |
Dr Waruni Dissanayake, Dept of Molecular Medicine and Pathology |
| 2:35pm - 2:40pm | Questions | |
| 2:40pm - 2:50pm | Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) - how it works + our system | Ratish Kurian, BIRU |
| 2:50pm - 3pm | TEM - Research focus 'Organelle proximity - why use TEM as independent confirmation?' |
Dr Victoria Hewitt, Technical Manager, BIRU |
| 3pm - 3:05pm | Questions | |
| 3:05pm - 3:15pm | Flow cytometry - how it works + our system (cell sorter) | Dr Sandy Chen, BIRU |
| 3:15pm - 3:25pm | Flow cytometry - Research focus 'Using yeast display and FACS to isolate strong-binding antibody variants'. |
Patrick Wightman, University of Waikato |
| 3:25pm - 3:30pm | Questions | |
| 3:30pm - 3:40pm | Light sheet fluorescence microscopy - how it works + our system | Jacqueline Ross, BIRU |
| 3:40pm - 3:50pm | Light sheet fluorescence microscopy - Research focus 'Tackling the beast of the BIRU: What Lightsheet microscopy can reveal about placental blood vessels' |
Mary Spring, Dept of Obstetrics and Gynaecology/Auckland Bioengineering Institute |
| 3:50pm - 3:55pm | Questions | |
| 3:55pm - 4:15pm | Refreshments - discussion/networking | |
| 4:15pm - 4:30pm | BIRU image competition - presentation of prizes | |
| 4:30pm - 5:30pm | Discussion/networking |
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