26th Australian Institute of Physics Congress and the Australian and New Zealand Conference on Optics and Photonics

Session

ANZCOP: Optical Spectroscopy & Molecular Sensing

ANZCOP

7 Dec 2026, 15:45

Belinda Hutchinson Building (The University of Sydney )

Conveners

ANZCOP: Optical Spectroscopy & Molecular Sensing

• Irina Kabakova (University of Technology Sydney)

810. Quantitative imaging of DNA target search inside the nucleus of a living cell

Prof. Elizabeth Hinde (School of Physics, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia)

07/12/2026, 15:45

ANZOS | Photonics and Optics (ANZCOP)

Invited talk

Nuclear architecture is increasingly recognised as an important regulator of DNA target search. We have developed fluorescence microscopy approaches based on fluorescence fluctuation spectroscopy to quantify how molecules move through the complex DNA networks of living cell nuclei. These methods provide the spatiotemporal resolution needed to map how genome organisation shapes nuclear...

195. Loss-tolerant high-gain quantum imaging with undetected photons

JINGRUI ZHANG (University of Bristol)

07/12/2026, 16:15

ANZOS | Photonics and Optics (ANZCOP)

Contributed Oral

Quantum imaging with undetected photons (QIUP) enables image formation using photons that are never directly measured, decoupling illumination and detection wavelengths. Indistinguishable photon-pair generation pathways interfere coherently, enabling information carried by the undetected mid-infrared idler field to be transferred to the detected near-infrared signal field via phase- and...

112. Label-free 3D microscopy of fast biological cell dynamics via interferometric multiplexing

Natan T. Shaked (Tel Aviv University)

07/12/2026, 16:30

ANZOS | Photonics and Optics (ANZCOP)

Contributed Oral

Label-free optical microscopy employs nondestructive approaches to visualize biomedical samples. It utilizes endogenous intrinsic signals rather than specific exogenous markers or genetic modifications, which may perturb the natural biological processes, dynamics, and responses of live cells. A major challenge in optical microscopy of live cells is achieving affordable, label-free,...

197. Improving classification of embryo for in-vitro fertilization: A study of laser-induced nanostructure wettability and cell adhesion for surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy

Simon Barter (The University of Auckland)

07/12/2026, 16:45

ANZOS | Photonics and Optics (ANZCOP)

Contributed Oral

Surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) is a promising method for accessing the wealth of information carried by extracellular vesicles (EVs). However, ensuring analyte adsorption onto the enhancing nanostructure and concentration in local electromagnetic hot-spots is a critical aspect of a functional SERS device. The exact deposition dynamics are largely governed by substrate wettability,...

793. Laser Modification of a-C:N:H Films Towards Enhanced In-vitro Cell Culture Platforms

Sophie Cottam (University of Sydney)

07/12/2026, 17:00

ANZOS | Photonics and Optics (ANZCOP)

Contributed Oral

In-vitro cell studies are fast becoming the preferred technique for developing pharmaceuticals, patient specific cell therapies and fundamental biological understandings, avoiding invasive and expensive animal models. To meet the demand for in-vitro models, there is an increasing need for cell culture platforms that support multimodal characterisation, combining optical imaging with...