Biological sample preparation winter workshops
The Melbourne Histology Platform, the BioSciences Microscopy Unit & Ian Holmes Imaging Centre, and the Materials Characterisation and Fabrication Platform invite all researchers to the upcoming biological sample preparation winter workshops.
Spanning optical, electron, and helium ion microscopy, this series of workshops will cover important topics related to preparing biological samples for microscopy.
Each workshop will run as a hybrid event - in-person (Parkville campus of the University of Melbourne) and virtual (Zoom) attendance options -, will be recorded, and will include time for Q&A at the end. The series is free to attend for all researchers.
See below for details, session times, and to register for any or all of the workshops. To attend, please register by 9am AEST on Monday 17th July.
Workshop 1: Focus on fixation
Tuesday 18th July 10–11am AEST (Melbourne time)
Fixation of biological tissue samples is essential to preserving tissue morphology for performing histology and microscopy to visualise characteristics of the tissue. The choice and performance of fixation can make or break an experiment that will rely on histology and microscopy to collect the data. This webinar will explore: the broad approaches to fixation, common chemical fixatives, how to choose an appropriate fixation technique and basic troubleshooting of common issues encountered with tissue fixation.
The content will be focused on fixing samples for optical microscopy only.
Presented by Dr Chris Freelance from the Melbourne Histology Platform.
Workshop 2: Focus on immunostaining
Tuesday 18th July 1–2pm AEST
Immunostaining is an important and widely used technique for visualising the presence and distribution of molecules/structures of interest in a tissue section. This webinar will explore: the 3 approaches to immunostaining, designing a multi-labelling experiment including selection of antibodies, general immunostaining protocols, and troubleshooting common problems encountered with immunostaining.
This webinar will assume a basic knowledge of the principles of immunostaining.
Presented by Dr Chris Freelance from the Melbourne Histology Platform.
Workshop 3: Focus on fixation and immunolabelling – electron microscopy edition
Thursday 20th July 10–11:30am AEST
Fixation of biological tissue samples is essential to preserving tissue morphology for performing histology and microscopy to visualise characteristics of the tissue. The choice and performance of fixation methods can make or break an experiment that will rely on microscopy to collect the data. Likewise, immunostaining is an important and widely used technique for visualising the presence and distribution of molecules/structures of interest in a tissue section.
This webinar will focus on fixation and immunolabelling techniques specifically for electron microscopy.
Presented by Dr Allison van de Meene from the BioSciences Microscopy Unit & Ian Holmes Imaging Centre (IHIC).
Workshop 4: Focus on ion microscopy
Thursday 20th July 1–2pm AEST
The helium ion microscope (HIM) is a scanned ion probe instrument that is similar in many respects to that of the well-established scanning electron microscope (SEM). Fundamentally, however, the two differ in that the HIM utilises a beam of He+ ions generated from a gas field ion source (GFIS). This affords beam characteristics superior to that of an electron source; very low chromatic aberration, orders of magnitude higher brightness, greater depth of field, and an ultimate imaging resolution that is not diffraction limited. Additionally, it can image insulating surfaces without the need for a conductive coating. Unsurprisingly then, the HIM is an important imaging tool in the materials and life sciences, where there is an ever-pressing demand to look closer at surfaces and elucidate the finest nanoscale features. This seminar will introduce and discuss the technique, its strengths (and weaknesses) and how it can be applied in materials engineering and biological sciences.
Presented by Dr Anders Barlow from the Materials Characterisation and Fabrication Platform.