Date: 21 June 2023 (Wednesday)

Time: 5:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.

Venue: Seminar Room 2 and 3, G/F, William M.W. Mong Block, 21 Sassoon Road

5:00 p.m.

Speaker: Dr. Wei Li (Post-doctoral Fellow)
Primary Supervisor: Dr. You-qiang Song
Presentation Title: Photopyroelectric microfluidics: a light-controlled contamination-free fluidic processor
Abstract: Precision manipulation of various liquids is critical in many thermal, optical, and medical applications. Unlike solid objects, fluids are intrinsically divisible, enriching their fundamental operations with merging, dispensing, and splitting on top of moving. Fluids are sticky as well, calling for their lossless manipulation to prevent mass loss and contamination. I will present photopyroelectric microfluidics that meet all the requirements. In response to the irradiation from even one single beam of light, the platform creates a unique wavy dielectrophoretic force field that is remarkably capable of performing desired loss-free (loss being 0.5% of existing one) manipulation of droplets of surface tension from 18.9 to 98.0 mN m-1 and volume from 1 nl to 1000 µl, functioning as a “magic” wetting-proof hand to navigate, fuse, pinch and cleave fluids on demand, enabling cargo carriers with droplet wheels and upgrading the limit of maximum concentration of deliverable protein by 4000 folds.

5:30 p.m. 

Speaker: Dr. Andrew Kinghorn (Post-doctoral Fellow)
Primary Supervisor: Professor Julian Tanner
Presentation Title: Live cell imaging of RNA using a novel light-up RNA aptamer/fluorogen pair
Abstract: Fluorescent proteins such as GFP have revolutionized cellular imaging and protein localisation over the last 30 years. Over this time fluorescent proteins have undergone many enhancements to increase their intensity and spectral range which have greatly enhanced their imaging application. Recently RNA aptamers have been isolated against fluorogens creating an analogous method for the tracking and localisation of RNA in cells, although fluorescence intensity and spectral range remain issues. Herein, we demonstrate the use of our novel enhanced light-up RNA aptamer/fluorogen pair for the imaging of RNA in bacteria and mammalian cultured cells.  Our novel light-up RNA aptamer/fluorogen pair has increased thermostability and in vivo fluorescent intensity.

ALL ARE WELCOME

Should you have any enquiries, please feel free to contact Miss Angela Wong at 3917 9216.