Lakshini Mendis

Lakshini Mendis received her PhD from the Centre for Brain Research at the University of Auckland, where she studied lipid changes in the human brain in Alzheimer’s disease. She currently works as a senior medical writer for dna Communications, primarily supporting on neuroscience and neurology-based projects. She is a member of the The Australasian Medical Writers Association and a strong advocate for women in STEM. Connect with her on LinkedIn!

Publications

Hippocampal lipid differences in Alzheimer's disease: a human brain study using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-imaging mass spectrometry
Metal concentrations and distributions in the human olfactory bulb in Parkinson’s disease

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Articles by Lakshini Mendis

Career Development and Networking

Hot Tips for Creating a Scientific Special Interest Group at Your Institute
ByLakshini Mendis

Universities are often organized by faculties, colleges, schools, and/or departments. So, as an academic, you often work closely with colleagues studying similar subject areas. A common interest, however, often transcends the boundaries of this organizational structure. Enter scientific special interest groups. What Are Scientific Special Interest Groups? Scientific special interest groups are member-led initiatives within…

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Microscopy and Imaging

The A to Z of Histological Stains
ByLakshini Mendis

From Alkaline phosphatase to Warthin-Starry, we take you through the various histology stains available.

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Analytical Chemistry and Chromatography Techniques

Applying Your MALDI Matrix Like a Boss
ByLakshini Mendis

Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (or simply, MALDI) is a type of mass spectrometry method. If you are new to mass spectrometry, check out our excellent primers, titled How Does Mass Spec Work and Get Out of Western Blot Hell: An intro to Mass Spec. Basically, however, mass spectrometry allows you to measure, sort, and quantify small…

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Career Development and Networking

A Quick Guide to Organizing Your First Academic Event
ByLakshini Mendis

Scientific meetings provide an opportunity to learn, network, and explore new ideas. They are also an exciting break from the usual lab routine. Although organizing a Departmental or Institutional academic event takes up your research time, the experience helps develop leadership, project and budget management, and problem solving skills that will make your CV shine….

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Analytical Chemistry and Chromatography Techniques

Fine-Tune Your MALDI-TOF to Produce Good-looking Mass Spectra
ByLakshini Mendis

Mass Spec is all about getting the perfect peaks. Without a good peak assigning the correct mass is impossible and you cannot make accurate identifications. Make sure you know how to adjust your MALDI-TOF instrument parameters to achieve your perfect peak. In our previous posts ‘How does Mass Spec Work’ and ‘Imaging Mass Spectrometry: the…

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Microscopy and Imaging

Imaging Mass Spectrometry: The New(ish) Kid on the Block
ByLakshini Mendis

IMS is a rapidly advancing technique that nicely blends the best bits of mass spectrometry with microscopic imaging. Learn more about it and how it could be applied to your work.

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Analytical Chemistry and Chromatography Techniques

How to Choose Your MALDI (Soul) Matrix
ByLakshini Mendis

gif by Kronin Okay not talking about that kind of matrix. But the kind of matrix that is crucial for MALDI (Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization). I talked briefly about MALDI in my last article, Imaging Mass Spectrometry: The New(ish) Kid on the Block. Now I want to tell you more about MALDI, specifically the matrix….

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