We are back on Monday 5 June with Dr Kirsty MacLellan-Gibson, Babraham Institute.
Title: Volume Electron Microscopy: What is it and how can it help me?
Nature have named Volume Electron Microscopy as one of the seven technologies to watch in 2023; but what is it and how can it help you?
VolumeElectron Microscopy (vEM) is an assembly of techniques that allow imaging of cells, tissue and small organisms in 3D. Samples can be as small as a few micrometers up to a few milimeters, with resolutions in the nanometer range, detailed enough to reveal cellular ultrastructure. Within this collection of techniques are three main components that are common to all: sample preparation; imaging; and data processing.
At the Babraham Institute we have been pioneering vEM using our FIB-SEM to study basic cell and molecular biology with an emphasis on healthy ageing through the human life course. Examples from cutting edge science performed at the Babraham Institute will be used to describe this exciting technique.
Biography: Dr Kirsty MacLellan-Gibson
Kirsty MacLellan-Gibson (KMG) obtained a degree in Virology at the University of Glasgow. This was followed by a PhD at MRC Virology in Glasgow, where she calculated the structures of Respiratory Syncytial Virus nucleoprotein and phosphoprotein using cryoEM, under the supervision of Prof David Bhella and Dr Paul Yeo. Postdoctoral position in the laboratories of Prof Jacques Dubochet, Lausanne (Switzerland), developing and applying Cryo Electron Microscopy Of Vitreous Sections (CEMOVIS) to viral infections and the characterisation of chromatin ultrastructure. A second postdoctoral position with Dr Nicolas Boisset, Paris (France) followed where her cryoEM expertise was applied to a variety of sample such as extremophile viruses and iron-oxidising bacteria. In 2009 KMG returned to the UK to take up a position at National Institute for Biological Standards and Control (NIBSC), with a focus on providing high-end imaging technologies to improve to the standardisation and control of biological medicines. This included the development of advanced imaging techniques for the improvement of biological assays and vaccine research. In 2022 KMG move to the Babraham Institute to develop the nascent EM capabilities and to drive forward the application of vEM to study basic cell and molecular biology with an emphasis on healthy ageing through the human life course.
Café Synthetique is the monthly meetup for the Cambridge synthetic and engineering biology community with informal talks, discussion and pub snacks. Kindly sponsored by Cambridge Consultants.
We meet monthly at the Panton Arms to share the latest developments in engineering biology and related approaches and techniques. Speakers range from students and group leaders to industry professionals and entrepreneurs. We are always open to speaker suggestions so if you would like to nominate yourself or another person, please get in touch via coordinator@engbio.cam.ac.uk.