News

ULS Seminar - Introducing the CytoFLEX platform and CytoFLEX mosaic module

The University Research Facility in Life Sciences (ULS) is co-organizing a seminar on flow cytometry with Beckman Coulter. This seminar will be focused on the new CytoFLEX module which allows seamless switching between the true conventional and spectral flow cytometry.    The details of the upcoming seminar are as follow:   Title: Introducing the CytoFLEX platform and CytoFLEX mosaic module   Date: 15 May 2025 (Thu)   Time: 10:30  – 11:30 am   Venue: Y303   Should you have any enquiries, please contact Dr. Rachel Li.   All are welcome!   Thank you for your attention.  

Huygens Workshop - Introduction to True Image Restoration, Deconvolution, and Analysis

The University Research Facility in Life Sciences (ULS) offers numerous image analysis, visualisation and deconvolution software to our fluorescence microscope users, including Huygens, Imaris and Arivis.   To get new users started using the Huygens software, SVI is organising an online workshop at 3:30 pm (HKT) on 15th May. Interested parties shall register on their website prior to the event.   If you have any queries about the workshop or the software, please contact Dr Michael Yuen.

Flow Cytometry User Group Meeting - Improving Resolution and Unveiling Biology with Imaging and Spectral Flow Cytometry

The University Research Facility in Life Sciences (ULS) is co-organising with BD Biosciences and Bio-Gene a seminar with Bob Balderas, the Vice President of Biological Sciences and Market Development at BD Biosciences on 6th of Mar. The lecture will center on the latest technology advancements in flow cytometry. Bob, the speaker, is an expert in immunology and flow cytometry with 40 years of experience in academia and biotechnology.  He has driven key product launches, authored over 110 publications, and delivered 5000+ presentations in his career.  Bob’s strategic leadership has enhanced product development efficiencies.  He holds an MBA from the University of San Diego and serves on several influential boards and councils, contributing significantly to the scientific community. Below please see the seminar details: Topic: Improving Resolution and Unveiling Biology with Imaging and Spectral Flow Cytometry Date: 6 Mar 2025 (Thu) Time: 14:00– 15:00 Venue: Y303, Block Y Should you have any enquiries, please contact Dr. Rachel Li or Dr. Ryan Chow. All are welcome! Thank you for your attention.

ULS Newsletter (12th Issue)

The 12th issue of the ULS newsletter has been issued. Please click the image below to view it online.   In this issue, we highlight the recent Nobel lecture on super-resolution fluorescence microscopy, and introduce the gradient fixation method to improve protein purification for cryo-EM or other biochemical analysis workflows.   Thank you for your support.

New ULS Equipment - Biocomp Gradient Master 108 Gradient Mixer

The University Research Facility in Life Sciences (ULS) is pleased to announce that our new Biocomp Gradient Master 108 Gradient Mixer is open to users.   Density gradients are useful for the separation of biomolecules of different composition and volume. Using a patented method called tilted tube rotation, the equipment can produce up to 6 desired linear gradients in a reproducible and timely manner.   The ULS provides most of the common gradients for your experiments. Interested parties shall direct their enquiries on training and equipment access to Shuqi Zhang or Sirui Li of the ULS.   Thank you for your attention.

New ULS Equipment - RWD DSC-810 Cell Dissociator

The University Research Facility in Life Sciences (ULS) is pleased to announce that the RWD DSC-810 Cell Dissociator is now open to users. The equipment employs specially designed tissue processing tubes to achieve high-activity single cell suspension preparation. 8 independent operating channels and heating jackets are available to enhance experimental reproducibility and efficiency.   If you have any queries about the RWD DSC-810 Cell Dissociator, please do not hesitate to contact Dr. Ryan Chow or Dr. Rachel Li of the ULS.   Thank you for your attention.  

ULS Antibody Panels - BD FACSymphony A3 Cell Analyzer

Several antibody panels are now available at the ULS for the study of immune system. Different immune cells, such as T cells, B cells, NK cells and Macrophages, can be identified simultaneously with the BD FACSymphony A3 Cell Analyzer. Please contact Dr. Ryan Chow or Dr. Rachel Li for pricing or conducting a trial. Thank you very much for your attention.

Distinguished Lecture by Nobel Laureate Prof. Stefan Hell on Super-resolution Microscopy

The University Research Facility in Life Sciences (ULS) is co-organising with the Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology (ABCT) and the State Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology and Drug Discovery a Distinguished Lecture on Super-resolution Fluorescence Microscopy by Prof. Stefan Hell, Nobel Laureate in Chemistry 2014.   Prof. Hell is credited with having conceived, validated and applied the first viable concept for overcoming Abbe’s diffraction-limited resolution barrier in a light-focusing fluorescence microscope. He pioneered the stimulated emission depletion (STED) microscopy technique, which subsequently won him a 1/3 share of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2014 "for the development of super-resolved fluorescence microscopy".   The principle of STED is rather simple but truly optical. Fluorophores at the outer region of the excitation beam are “switched off” by a doughnut-shaped depletion beam. Thus, only signals at the centre of the excitation beam (which are sub-diffraction limit) are detected. STED allows researchers to achieve lateral resolution of 20 nm, which is a 10 times improvement over conventional confocal microscopy.   In this lecture, Prof. Hell will show how he has further improved diffraction-unlimited fluorescence microscopy and developed the novel MINFLUX technique, which has reached the resolution of the size of a single fluorophore molecule (i.e., 1-3 nm) in both fixed and living cells. In addition, Prof. Hell will demonstrate how MINFLUX and the related MINSTED technique would enable characterisation of dynamic processes at the single-protein level, and their potential applications in biomedical science. Details of the Distinguished Lecture are as follows:   Date: 15th November, 2024 (Friday) Time: 10:00 to 11:15 am (light refreshments will be provided from 9:30 am) Venue: V322, Jockey Club Innovation Tower Lecture title: Molecular-scale Resolution and Dynamics in Fluorescence Microscopy   Online registration is required for this lecture, and can be done on or before 6th November, 2024. If you have any queries, please contact Dr Michael Yuen of the ULS (Tel.: 3400 8788).

ULS Technology Webinar – New Development in 2D/3D Imaging – Combining Organ Imaging and Spatial Biology

You are cordially invited to attend the ULS technology webinar “New Development in 2D/3D Imaging – Combining Organ Imaging and Spatial Biology”. Details are as follows:   Title: New Development in 2D/3D Imaging – Combining Organ Imaging and Spatial Biology Date: 29 October 2024 (Tuesday) Time: 15:00 – 16:30 Speaker: Dr. Bernd Müller-Zülow (Executive Senior Expert – Imaging & Microscopy Business Development Miltenyi Biotec B.V. & Co. KG) Venue: Online, Microsoft Teams Teams Meeting ID: 412 396 501 072 Meeting Passcode: krh2oS Click here to join the meeting    Please refer to the attached poster for further information. Should you have any enquiries, please contact Dr. Ryan Chow All are welcome!  

New ULS Equipment - ThermoFisher Aquilos 2 Cryo-FIB System

The University Research Facility in Life Sciences (ULS) is pleased to announce that the ThermoFisher Aquilos 2 Cryo-Focused Ion Beam (FIB) System at our Cryo-EM Centre is now open to users.   The Aquilos 2 is a dual-beam system dedicated to the preparation of thin and electron-transparent lamellae for high-resolution cryo-electron tomography (cryo-ET) or microcrystal electron diffraction (MicroED) analysis of small molecules and proteins. Key features include:   Highly automated workflow: allows researchers to produce multiple lamellae from user-defined locations (Fig. 1) Improved cryo-hardware: enables longer run times (i.e., up to 8 hours) with ultra-low ice contamination EasyLift nano manipulator cryo-lift-out system: facilitates the preparation of lamellae from target regions within bulk-frozen specimens Site-specific extraction: capable of extracting regions (Fig. 2), including those from high-pressure frozen (HPF) samples, and loading them onto AutoGrids for further imaging with other cryo-TEM systems at our Cryo-EM Centre This advanced system enhances our capability to perform high-resolution cryo-ET analysis, providing researchers with the tools needed for cutting-edge molecular and protein studies. As a novel technology that connects cell biology and structural biology, cryo-ET can help researchers visualise the macromolecular structure and inner architecture within cells in situ.   The ULS cordially invites research groups engaged in bacteria or cell biology research to discuss with us the possibility of arranging pilot test sessions with their samples. The ideal sample shall be smaller than 5 µm. Interested parties shall direct their enquiries on test sessions or the equipment to Sirui Li or Michael Yuen of the ULS.   Thank you for your attention.