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Extracellular vesicles: from biology to biomedical applications – Cancelled – Course and Conference Office

EMBO Practical Course

Extracellular vesicles: from biology to biomedical applications – Cancelled

Overview

Due to renewed restrictions related to the pandemic, we are unfortunately not able to host this course onsite. As a result, we are cancelling this course and apologise for the inconvenience.

Course Overview

A rapidly increasing number of researchers aim to purify and identify extracellular vesicles and many methodologies to isolate and analyse these vesicles are available and have been implemented. This course will cover the basics, possibilities and limitations of different purification and characterisation techniques and will address strategies to understand their role in biomedical applications.

Audience

This course is intended for PhD students and Postdoctoral researchers who are interested in learning how to work with extracellular vesicles and know more about their biomedical applications.

Modules/Resources

  • Extracellular vesicles (continuous and discontinuous density gradient ultracentrifugation, ultrafiltration techniques, bead-capture and precipitation techniques, size-exclusion chromatography (SEC)
  • Extracellular vesicles characterisation (Immunoblot and electron microscopy, fluorescent labeling, quantitative and qualitative analysis by flow cytometry, nanoparticle tracking analysis, in vivo imaging, proteomic and transcriptomic analysis of EV)
  • Extracellular vesicles composition (lipidomics, proteomics, transcriptomics)
  • Extracellular vesicles and function (molecular players for extracellular vesicle biogenesis, extracellular vesicle targeting to cells, extracellular vesicles as diagnostics and/or therapeutics in pathophysiology)

Learning Outcomes

In this course we intend to make PhD students and post-doctoral researchers familiar with good-practice-guidelines and methods for purification and identification of extracellular vesicles with practical sessions included.

What Past Participants Say About the Course:

“This course was very informative and covers all the major aspects of EV research. It addresses questions of what level of quality is required for good publications but also offers relevant approaches towards analysing data and critical thinking in the EV field. Whether you are taking your first steps in this field or more experienced, this course applies to you.” – Dr. Berglind Eva Benediktsdóttir, University of Iceland, Iceland

“My research is focused on understanding the role of exosomes in the progression of glioblastoma. While working on exosome-mediated regulation of angiogenesis in glioblastoma, I found significant difficulties in getting a pure population of exosomes as it is often contaminated with other biomolecules. As a result, we were in delusion whether the data which we were getting was the effect of exosomes or other biomolecules. Fortunately, I found the EMBO Practical Course on extracellular vesicles, focusing on the isolation and purification of extracellular vesicles, which was extremely important for my research work. We were trained to use cutting-edge research tools for extracellular vesicles and learned bioinformatic analysis of biomolecules that are present in exosomes. I also got an opportunity to interact with world-leading researchers and discuss my research. ” – Abir Mondal, National Centre for Cell Science, India

Speakers and Trainers

Scientific Organisers

Course Organisers

Programme

Got something to say? Tweet it with #EMBOEVs

  • Some pre-course work (such as watching pre-recordings, protocol reading and computational exercises) with estimated time 0-10 hours will be required and will be shared in advance of the course.
  • Some speakers may need to join virtually to give their lecture or Q&A, and the programme is subject to change.
  • All times in the programme below are shown as the time in Europe/Berlin.

The preliminary programme below is a draft and is subject to change.

Day 1 – Sunday 13 March 2022
TimeSpeakerLocation
17:30 – 18:00Welcome & Introductions
An Hendrix – Ghent University, Belgium
Cecilia Lässer – University of Gothenburg, Sweden
Esther Nolte-’t Hoen – Utrecht University, The Netherlands
Guillaume Van Niel – Institute of Psychiatry and Neuroscience of Paris, France
Elisabeth Zielonka – EMBL Heidelberg, Germany
ISG Hotel
18:00 – 20:00Ice Breaker Flashtalks and
journal club paper selection:
group 1, 2, 3,4
ISG Hotel
20:00DinnerISG Hotel
Day 2 – Monday 14 March 2022
TimeSpeakerLocation
08:00 – 09:00Daily testing
09:00 – 09:30House notes & Safety IntroductionCourtyard Room A & B
09:30 – 09:45Outline of the day
An Hendrix – Ghent University, Belgium
Courtyard Room A & B
09:45 – 10:30Lecture: Heterogeneity in EV methods
An Hendrix – Ghent University, Belgium
Courtyard Room A & B
10:30 – 11:15Lecture: Heterogeneity in EV subtypes
Edit Buzás – Semmelweis University, Hungary
Courtyard Room A & B
11:15 – 11:30Coffee breakFlex Lab A & B
11:45 – 12:00Introduction to practicals and separation methods
An Hendrix – Ghent University, Belgium
Courtyard Room A & B
12:00 – 12:30Lecture: Fluorescent labeling of EVs
Esther Nolte-’t Hoen – Utrecht University, The Netherlands
Courtyard Room A & B
12:30 – 14:00LunchFlex Lab A & B
14:00 – 15:30Practical 1: Preparation of EVs by differential
ultracentrifugation and fluorescent labeling

An Hendrix – Ghent University, Belgium
Maribel Lara Corona – Institute of Psychiatry and Neuroscience of Paris, France
Cecilia Lässer – University of Gothenburg, Sweden
Estefanía Lozano Andrés – Utrecht University, The Netherlands
Esther Nolte-’t Hoen – Utrecht University, The Netherlands
Quentin Roux – Ghent University, Belgium
Training Lab A & B
15:30 – 16:15Lecture: EV biogenesis
Guillaume Van Niel – Institute of Psychiatry and Neuroscience of Paris, France
Courtyard Room A & B
16:15 – 16:30Coffee breakFlex Lab A & B
16:30 – 17:15Lecture: RNA sorting in EVs
Esther Nolte-’t Hoen – Utrecht University, The Netherlands
Flex Lab A & B
17:15 – 19:30Practical 2: EV separation using Optiprep density gradient centrifugation
An Hendrix – Ghent University, Belgium
Maribel Lara Corona – Institute of Psychiatry and Neuroscience of Paris, France
Cecilia Lässer – University of Gothenburg, Sweden
Estefanía Lozano Andrés – Utrecht University, The Netherlands
Esther Nolte-’t Hoen – Utrecht University, The Netherlands
Quentin Roux – Ghent University, Belgium
Training Lab A & B
19:30 – 20:30Dinner
20:30 – 21:30Student presentationsCourtyard Room A & B
21:30Departure HotelATC Entrance
Day 3 – Tuesday 15 March 2022
TimeSpeakerLocation
08:00 – 09:00Daily testing
09:00 – 09:15Outline of the day
Guillaume Van Niel – Institute of Psychiatry and Neuroscience of Paris, France
Courtyard Room A & B
09:15 – 10:25Practical 3: EV separation using size exclusion chromatography
An Hendrix – Ghent University, Belgium
Maribel Lara Corona – Institute of Psychiatry and Neuroscience of Paris, France
Cecilia Lässer – University of Gothenburg, Sweden
Estefanía Lozano Andrés – Utrecht University, The Netherlands
Esther Nolte-’t Hoen – Utrecht University, The Netherlands
Quentin Roux – Ghent University, Belgium
Training Lab A & B
10:25 – 11:30Continue Practical 2: Collect and process fractions from density gradients
An Hendrix – Ghent University, Belgium
Maribel Lara Corona – Institute of Psychiatry and Neuroscience of Paris, France
Cecilia Lässer – University of Gothenburg, Sweden
Estefanía Lozano Andrés – Utrecht University, The Netherlands
Esther Nolte-’t Hoen – Utrecht University, The Netherlands
Quentin Roux – Ghent University, Belgium
Training Lab A & B
11:30 – 11:45Coffee breakFlex Lab A & B
11:45 – 12:30Lecture: Quantitative and qualitative EV analysis by flow cytometry
Marca Wauben – Utrecht University,
The Netherlands
Courtyard Room A & B
12:30 – 14:00LunchFlex Lab A & B
14:00 – 14:45Lecture: Single EV analysis
André Görgens – Karolinska Institutet
Sweden
Courtyard Room A & B
14:45 – 16:15Practical 4: Particle analysis (Malvern, Izon, flow cytometry)
An Hendrix – Ghent University, Belgium
Maribel Lara Corona – Institute of Psychiatry and Neuroscience of Paris, France
Cecilia Lässer – University of Gothenburg, Sweden
Estefanía Lozano Andrés – Utrecht University, The Netherlands
Esther Nolte-’t Hoen – Utrecht University, The Netherlands
Quentin Roux – Ghent University, Belgium
Training Lab A & B /
Cell Culture /
Microscopy rooms
16:15 – 16:30Coffee breakFlex Lab A & B
16:30 – 18:45Practical 4: Particle analysis (Malvern, Izon, flow cytometry)
An Hendrix – Ghent University, Belgium
Maribel Lara Corona – Institute of Psychiatry and Neuroscience of Paris, France
Cecilia Lässer – University of Gothenburg, Sweden
Estefanía Lozano Andrés – Utrecht University, The Netherlands
Esther Nolte-’t Hoen – Utrecht University, The Netherlands
Quentin Roux – Ghent University, Belgium
Training Lab A & B /
Cell Culture /
Microscopy rooms
18:45 – 19:45Dinner
19:45 – 20:45Student presentationsCourtyard Room A & B
21:00Departure HotelATC Entrance
Day 4 – Wednesday 16 March 2022
TimeSpeakerLocation
08:00 – 09:00Daily testing
09:00 – 09:15Outline of the day
Esther Nolte-’t Hoen – Utrecht University, The Netherlands
Courtyard Room A & B
09:15 – 10:15Exercise 1: All Data AnalyisCourtyard Room A & B
10:15 – 10:30Coffee breakFlex Lab A & B
10:30 – 11:30Lecture: EV characterization by transmission
electron microscopy and western blot analysis

Guillaume Van Niel – Institute of Psychiatry and Neuroscience of Paris, France
Courtyard Room A & B
11:30 – 12:00Group activity: Tour of electron microscopy
core facility with Q&A session
EM Facility
12:00 – 12:30Group activity: Tour of electron microscopy
core facility with Q&A session
EM Facility
12:30 – 13:30LunchFlex Lab A & B
13:30 – 14:30 Practicals 5,6,7 in parallel Training Lab A & B,
Courtyard Room A & B,
Flex Lab A & B
14:30 – 15:30 Practicals 5,6,7 in parallel Training Lab A & B,
Courtyard Room A & B,
Flex Lab A & B
15:30 – 15:45Coffee break
15:45 – 16:45Practicals 5,6,7 in parallelTraining Lab A & B,
Courtyard Room A & B,
Flex Lab A & B
16:45 – 17:45 Practicals 5,6,7 in parallel Training Lab A & B,
Courtyard Room A & B,
Flex Lab A & B
18:00 – 19:00Dinner
19:00 – 20:00Student presentationsCourtyard Room A & B
20:15Departure HotelATC Entrance
Day 5 – Thursday 17 March 2022
TimeSpeakerLocation
08:00 – 09:00Daily testing
09:00 – 09:15Outline of the day
Cecilia Lässer – University of Gothenburg, Sweden
Courtyard Room A & B
09:15 – 10:00Lecture: Impact of pre-analytical factors on EV seperation
Cecilia Lässer – University of Gothenburg, Sweden
Courtyard Room A & B
10:00 – 11:15Practical 8: Data Analyis
An Hendrix – Ghent University, Belgium
Maribel Lara Corona – Institute of Psychiatry and Neuroscience of Paris, France
Cecilia Lässer – University of Gothenburg, Sweden
Estefanía Lozano Andrés – Utrecht University, The Netherlands
Esther Nolte-’t Hoen – Utrecht University, The Netherlands
Quentin Roux – Ghent University, Belgium
Guillaume Van Niel – Institute of Psychiatry and Neuroscience of Paris, France
Courtyard Room A & B
11:15 – 11:30Coffee break
11:30 – 12:30Practical 8 continues: Data Analyis
An Hendrix – Ghent University, Belgium
Maribel Lara Corona – Institute of Psychiatry and Neuroscience of Paris, France
Cecilia Lässer – University of Gothenburg, Sweden
Estefanía Lozano Andrés – Utrecht University, The Netherlands
Esther Nolte-’t Hoen – Utrecht University, The Netherlands
Quentin Roux – Ghent University, Belgium
Guillaume Van Niel – Institute of Psychiatry and Neuroscience of Paris, France
Courtyard Room A & B
12:30 – 13:30LunchFlex Lab A & B
13:30 – 15:30Practical 8: Presentation data analysis and discussionCourtyard Room A & B
15:30 – 15:45Coffee break
15:45 – 16:30Lecture: Functional EV analysis in vivo
Michiel Pegtel – Amsterdam UMC, The Netherlands
Courtyard Room A & B
16:30 – 17:30Student presentationsCourtyard Room A & B
17:30Dinner
Day 6 – Friday 18 March 2022
TimeSpeakerLocation
08:00 – 09:00Daily testing
09:00 – 09:15Outline of the day
An Hendrix – Ghent University, Belgium
Courtyard Room A & B
09:15 – 10:00Lecture: Transcriptomics
Jo Vandesompele – Ghent University,
Belgium
Courtyard Room A & B
10:00 – 10:45Lecture: Separation of EVs from different biofluids
Olivier De Wever – Ghent University, Belgium
Courtyard Room A & B
10:45 – 11:00Coffee breakFlex Lab A & B
11:00 – 11:45Lecture: Proteomics
Suresh Mathivanan – La Trobe University,
Australia
Courtyard Room A & B
12:00 – 13:00LunchFlex Lab A & B
13:00 – 13:45Practical 9: Practical/Bioinformatics
Suresh Mathivanan – La Trobe University,
Australia
13:45 – 14:00Coffee breakFlex Lab A & B
14:00 – 14:45Practical 9: Practical/Bioinformatics
Suresh Mathivanan – La Trobe University,
Australia
14:45 – 15:00Coffee breakFlex Lab A & B
15:00 – 15:45Lecture: Lipidomics
Johan Swinnen – KU Leuven, Belgium
Courtyard Room A & B
15:45 – 16:15Lecuture: Clinical application
Mario Gimona – Paracelsus Medical University, Austria
Courtyard Room A & B
16:15 – 17:45Excercise 4: Group activity/ Journal clubCourtyard Room A & B
17:45 – 18:15Wrap up session
18:30Course Dinner

Practical Information

Registration Fees and Motivation Letter

The course is limited to 16 participants. For selection purposes, please note that your application will not be considered without a letter of motivation.

Registration

Registration Fees include admission, course materials, COVID-19 safety measures, meals and coffee breaks.

This EMBO course includes accommodation and transportation to and from the ISG Hotel to the venue.

Academia€500
PhD Student€500
Industry€1000

Confirmation and Payment

The registration fee should be paid only after acceptance to the course. The results will be announced approximately 2-3 weeks after the application deadline.

Motivation Letter Submission

After you have logged in and successfully registered, you will receive an email asking you to submit your motivation letter. Click on the link provided and enter your motivation letter in the text box provided. Alternatively you can submit your motivation letter by clicking on the link on the confirmation page directly after registering.

Instructions

  1. Include your relevant skills, experience and qualifications showing why you would be suitable for the course.
  2. Explain why you would like to attend, including what you can contribute and how you think you will benefit from the course.

Please note:

  • The limit of 2000 characters refers to manually typed text and excludes spaces. If an error occurs try using a different web browser (preferably Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox).
  • If you copy-paste the text into the form, hidden formatting might still be included which may cause the text to exceed the 2,000 character limit resulting in an error message. We recommend you clear all formatting before pasting in the text.
  • If you have special symbols in your text, make sure you are using Unicode characters, otherwise these will not be recognised.

For more detailed information, follow the instructions provided in our video on how to submit a course motivation letter.

Further Details

For further information about registration and motivation letter submission please refer to the FAQ page.

Financial Assistance

Financial Assistance

Limited financial assistance is provided by the EMBL Advanced Training Centre Corporate Partnership Programme and EMBO in the form of both registration fee waivers and travel grants. Availability is limited to participants attending on-site events in Heidelberg and will be indicated during the abstract or motivation letter submission process.

Your place in the meeting is only confirmed by paying the registration fee, which is mandatory even when receiving a fee waiver.

Registration Fee Waiver

The fee waiver will cover the registration sum that you have paid to attend the course or conference.

Travel Grant

The travel grant will cover the cost of travel (airfare, train, bus, taxi, accommodation, visa, and/or registration fees*) and is provided up to specified caps which are normally as follows:

– up to €400 for participants travelling to an EMBL Course, EMBL Conference or EMBO|EMBL Symposium from within Europe.
– up to €1000 for participants travelling to an EMBL Course, EMBL Conference or EMBO|EMBL Symposium from outside Europe.
– up to €500 for any participant travelling to an EMBO Practical Course or EMBO Workshop.
– up to €1000 for any participant working in Chile, India, Singapore or Taiwan travelling to an EMBO Practical Course or EMBO Workshop.

*Registration fees are only covered for EMBO Practical Courses or EMBO Workshops

The organisers may reduce the grant cap to accommodate more participants. Recipients will be notified of their travel cap amount when they are informed of the outcome of their application. Original receipts must be provided with your signature for all costs incurred within two months of completion of travel. Scanned copies cannot be accepted.

Childcare Grant (EMBO Practical Courses and Workshops only)

For EMBO Practical Course or EMBO Workshop participants with children, there is the possibility to apply for a childcare grant to offset child care costs incurred by participants or speakers when participating at a course or conference. Eligible costs include fees for a baby-sitter or child-care facility, travel costs for a care giver, or travel costs for taking the child to the meeting etc. Please note that priority will be given to early stage researchers. A maximum amount of 500 EUR can be awarded per participant applying for an EMBO Childcare Grant. In order to apply for this grant for EMBO Workshops, you must be registered by the abstract submission deadline.

Boehringer Ingelheim Fonds Travel Grant

Applies to selected courses only. Availability will be indicated during the abstract or motivation letter submission process.

This grant covers costs related to your attendance to the course (registration, travel and accommodation costs). The grant is restricted to PhD students and postdocs who conduct basic biomedical research.
Whether you are eligible to apply for a travel grant, depends on when you received your university entrance qualification (e.g. Abitur, A-Levels, High School Diploma, Final State Examination):

– for PhD and MD students, as well as graduates, the university entrance qualification must not have been obtained more than 11 years ago at the time of the envisaged course
– for postdocs, the university entrance qualification must not have been obtained more than 13 years ago at the time of the envisaged course

Application

You may apply for financial assistance when submitting your abstract for conferences. In your application, you will be asked to answer questions regarding why your lab cannot fund your attendance and how your attendance will make a difference to your career. Application for financial support will not affect the outcome of your registration application.

Selection

The scientific organisers will select the recipients of all financial assistance during the motivation letter or abstract selection process. Results will be announced approximately 6-8 weeks before the event start date, however for some events this may be delayed. Selection results do not impact your admission to the meeting. Selection is based on your current work or study location, the reasons for needing financial support and the impact this event will have on your career.

Reimbursement

Costs will be reimbursed after the meeting only once a reimbursement form and original receipts (from travel costs) have been received.

Further details

See our list of external funding opportunities and information on attending a conference as an event reporter.

For further information about financial assistance please refer to the FAQ page.

Accommodation and Shuttles

Accommodation has been pre-booked for you at the ISG Hotel for the default dates of 12 to 18 March 2022 (6 nights). Please note that the course registration fee includes coverage of accommodation costs in twin rooms, including breakfasts, for your stay at the ISG but that you will be required to pay an additional cost of 21 EUR per night for a single room. This should be paid by you directly to the ISG during your stay. Any additional nights need to be booked and paid for by you. We recommend that all course participants stay at the ISG Hotel which is the dedicated hotel for the course.

Local transport

Shuttle buses will go from the ISG Hotel to EMBL and back, mornings and evenings. A bus schedule and location of the bus stops will be made available prior to the meeting.

Further Details

Address: EMBL Heidelberg, Meyerhofstraße 1, 69117 Heidelberg, Germany

For further information on getting to EMBL Heidelberg visit our Travel Information page.

For enquiries about accommodation and local transportation please refer to the FAQ page.

Technical Requirements and Event Software

Technical Requirements

Below you will find the software and technical requirements for this course.

  • Participants need to bring their own laptops, which will be used to remotely access EMBL virtual machines with pre-installed software.
  • You will need admin rights to install the software required to access the virtual machines. If you do not have admin rights, please contact your technical support team in advance to make sure the software can be installed.
  • If you have a non-standard HDMI port (other than type A), you need to bring an adaptor.
  • Keyboard and PC mouse are available for use with a standard USB port. If you have a different port type, such as USB-C, you will need to bring your own.

Event Software

The EMBL eCampus learning platform will be used to collaborate, communicate and network with all of the course participants. All participants will receive information on how to join shortly before the course. We recommend using Chrome, Safari or Mozilla Firefox browsers for eCampus. 

Additional Information

Please find additional information including FAQs, terms and conditions, COVID-19 safety policy and travelling to EMBL on our Information for Participants page.

Sponsors

Course sponsors

 

Sponsorship opportunities

We offer a variety of event sponsoring possibilities, with the flexibility to select a set sponsorship package or combine individual sponsorship options to suit your event budget. Discounts are available for companies sponsoring multiple events at EMBL Heidelberg. View other conferences, or contact sponsorship@embl.de for further information.

If you are interested in becoming a media partner of this event, please visit our media partnerships webpage.

Date: 13 - 18 Mar 2022

Location: EMBL Heidelberg


Deadline(s):

Application: Closed


Organisers:

  • An Hendrix
    Ghent University, Belgium
    • Cecilia Lässer
      University of Gothenburg, Sweden
      • Esther Nolte-’t Hoen
        Utrecht University, The Netherlands
        • Guillaume Van Niel
          Institute of Psychiatry and Neurosciences of Paris (IPNP), France

        Contact: Lea Hohmann

        Download event poster


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