Vasculata 2026 Sessions

Workshop leader: Wade J. Sigurdson, PhD, Director Confocal Microscopy and Flow Cytometry Facility, UB JSMBS Description: The optical imaging techniques of super-resolution and multiphoton microscopy will be demonstrated. Super-resolution optical imaging technologies exceed the theoretical physical limits of resolution via several approaches which advantage fluorescent dyes properties and mathematical post-processing of appropriately sampled images. Multiphoton microscopy permits deep tissue in vivo imaging far exceeding that of confocal microscopy. The demonstration will involve brief descriptions of the applications and limitations of these technologies.

Workshop leader: Kwang Oh, PhD, Professor, Department of Electrical Engineering and Department of Biomedical Engineering, UB Description: This session will begin with an overview of current trends in microfluidics, bioMEMS, and Lab on a Chip technologies, highlighting their growing impact on diagnostics and biomedical engineering. The latter part of the session will feature selected examples of microfluidic devices fabricated in UB's Sensors and MicroActuators Learning Lab (SMALL).

“Next Generation Sequencing Tools: From single Cell to Spatial Architecture” Workshop leader: Donald Yergeau, PhD, Associate Director of Genomic Technology, The Research Foundation for SUNY Description: For the past 10 years, single cell and spatial technologies have accelerated tissue function and organization at the most basic level. This workshop will outline the current single cell and spatial technologies available to researchers with a focus on protocols from 10X Genomics (Single Cell, VISIUM and XENIUM) available in the UB Genomics Core. We will discuss sample prep from collection to storage, quality control metrics and sequencing parameters for both single cell and spatial transcriptomics. “Bioinformatics for Next-Gen Sequencing Datasets” Workshop leader: Jonathan E. Bard, PhD, Research Assistant Professor, Department of Biochemistry, Associate Director of Bioinformatics Genomics and Bioinformatics Core, UB JSMBS Description: Single-cell and Spatial technologies have revolutionized the field of next-generation sequencing and biomedical science. This workshop will provide tips and tricks regarding the primary and secondary data analysis of 10x-Genomics based sequencing data. Participants will leave with knowledge of the processing pipelines, key quality filtering metrics, and insight into recent advances in cell annotation strategies. For spatial technologies, participants will understand the pros and cons of Visium/Xenium based binning and cell segmentation strategies, as well as the ramifications on downstream analysis.

Workshop leaders: Per Stromhaug, PhD, Senior Associate Vice President for Economic Development, and Olga Petrova, PhD, Director, Innovation Initiatives, UB Description: Groundbreaking discoveries rarely reach patients on their own. This workshop bridges the gap between research and real-world clinical and commercial impact, covering the translational pathway from early-stage discovery to clinical application including intellectual property, technology transfer, funding mechanisms, and key regulatory considerations. Participants will leave with a clearer understanding of how to evaluate the translational potential of their work and take meaningful next steps toward broader impact, whether through industry partnership, startup formation, or clinical integration.

Workshop moderator: Tyler Rolland, PhD, Postdoctoral Fellow, UB Neurology Description: The technology forum will feature short, problem-focused presentations from industry partners highlighting experimental platforms for vascular biology research, including hypoxia modeling, endothelial barrier function, microfluidics and shear systems, organ-on-chip vascular simulation, in vivo imaging, and analytical pipelines. The session will conclude with optional small-group office hours focused on experimental design and data analyses.