Friday, 25 October 2024 11:00am – 12:00pm

This seminar will be delivered in Lecture Theatre 3

Speaker: Dr Amandeep Kaur

Host: Dr Constance Bailey

Title: Unveiling Nanoscale Secrets of Biological Systems Using Fluorescent Probes

Abstract: Understanding the biological world at the nanoscale is crucial for unravelling the complex mechanisms that govern life. At this level, the structure, identity, and environments of biomolecules play pivotal roles in cellular processes and functions. Technological advancements, including super-resolution microscopy, have emerged as powerful tools to address this need, offering researchers the ability to visualise and track specific molecules and structures with unprecedented precision. Consequently, fluorescent probes enabling nano-scale visualisation of biomolecules are highly sought after. This presentation will discuss three molecular imaging strategies we have developed: (i) fluorescent sensors for imaging the nanoscale structure of amyloids implicated in neurodegeneration, (ii) a molecular nose to discriminate between disease-associated and functional protein aggregates, and (iii) molecular rotors that report on biological environments. These innovative approaches promise to deepen our understanding of crucial biological processes at the molecular level.

Bio: Dr Amandeep Kaur is a Senior Lecturer and ARC DECRA Fellow at the Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences. She completed her PhD in 2016 at the University of Sydney with Prof. Elizabeth New. Dr Kaur then took up a postdoctoral position in biological imaging at the University of New South Wales. In 2018 she was awarded the University of Sydney Vice Chancellor’s Fellow to establish her independent research career. At Monash University, Dr Kaur holds an ARC DECRA. Research in her group is focussed on the development of fluorophores and fluorescent sensors for nanoscale imaging of crucial biomolecular targets for which there is an unmet need.

Dr Kaur has been recognised with several awards including the JG Russell Award for a Top-ranked DECRA and the RACI Rita Cornforth Lectureship awarded to the outstanding female Early-Career Chemist in Australia.