Extracellular vesicles: from biology to biomedical applications

Time (Europe/Berlin)	Session	Location
15:30 – 16:00	Arrival at Hotel ISG	Hotel ISG
16:00 – 16:30	Welcome and moderator for the day: André Görgens – Karolinska Institutet, Sweden EMBL Housenotes Catherine Casas-Saavedra – EMBL Heidelberg, Germany	Hotel ISG
16:30 – 18:00	All group activity: Flash talks (2 mins per participant) and icebreaker (challenges and expectations)	Hotel ISG
18:00 – 19:00	Lecture: Heterogeneity in EV methods (RCR) An Hendrix – Ghent University, Belgium	Hotel ISG
19:00	Dinner and Networking	Hotel ISG

Time (Europe/Berlin)	Session	Location
08:40	Bus departure from ISG Hotel to EMBL	ISG Hotel entrance
08:45 – 09:00	Arrival at EMBL and coffee	Courtyard room
09:00 – 09:15	Overview of the day, lab safety and introduction of speakers Lab safety: Camilo Barbosa Caro – EMBL Heidelberg, Germany Moderator for the day: Vincent Hyenne – Université de Strasbourg, France	Courtyard room
09:15 – 09:45	Lecture: Heterogeneity in EV subtypes Edit Buzas – Semmelweis University, Hungary	Courtyard room
09:45 – 10:00	Q&A of previous lecture	Courtyard room
10:00 – 10:30	Coffee break	Courtyard room
10:30 – 11:00	Introduction to practicals and preparation methods Lorena Martin Jaular– Institut Curie , France	Courtyard room
11:00 – 12:00	Practical 1: Fluorescent labelling of EVs Markus Bergqvist – University of Gothenburg, Sweden Juliette Delas – Institut Curie, France André Görgens – Karolinska Institutet, Sweden Vincent Hyenne – Université de Strasbourg, France Estefanía Lozano-Andres – Utrecht University, The Netherlands Lorena Martin Jaular – Institut Curie , France Cláudio Pinheiro – Ghent University, Belgium	Training Lab A&B
12:00 – 13:00	Lunch	EMBL Canteen
13:00 – 13:30	Lecture: Fluorescent labelling of EVs Lorena Martin-Jaular – Institut Curie, France	Courtyard room
13:30 – 13:45	Q&A of previous lecture	Courtyard room
13:45 – 14:15	Practical 1 (continued) Markus Bergqvist – University of Gothenburg, Sweden Juliette Delas – Institut Curie, France André Görgens – Karolinska Institutet, Sweden Vincent Hyenne – Université de Strasbourg, France Estefanía Lozano-Andres – Utrecht University, The Netherlands Lorena Martin Jaular – Institut Curie , France Cláudio Pinheiro – Ghent University, Belgium	Training Lab A&B
14:15 – 16:45	Practical 2: EV preparation using density gradients Markus Bergqvist – University of Gothenburg, Sweden Rossella Crescitelli – University of Gothenburg Sweden Juliette Delas – Institut Curie, France Estefanía Lozano-Andres – Utrecht University, The Netherlands Lorena Martin Jaular – Institut Curie , France Cláudio Pinheiro – Ghent University, Belgium	Training Lab A&B
16:45 – 17:15	Coffee break	Courtyard room
17:15 – 17:45	Lecture: EV biogenesis Guillaume Van Niel – Centre de cancerologie et immunologie integree de Nantes Angers, France	Courtyard room
17:45 – 18:00	Q&A of previous lecture	Courtyard room
18:00 – 19:00	Dinner with career topics discussion	EMBL Canteen
19:00	Bus departure from EMBL to ISG Hotel	EMBL ATC entrance

Time (Europe/Berlin)	Session	Location
08:40	Bus departure from ISG Hotel to EMBL	ISG Hotel entrance
08:45- 09 00	Arrival at EMBL and coffee	Courtyard room
09:00 – 09:10	Introduction of speakers Moderator for the day: Rossella Crescitelli – University of Gothenburg Sweden	Courtyard room
09:10 – 09:40	Lecture: Impact of pre-analytical factors on EV preparation and characterization Cecilia Lässer – University of Gothenburg, Sweden	Courtyard room
09:40 – 09:55	Q&A of previous lecture	Courtyard room
09:55 – 11:15	Practical EV preparation using size exclusion chromatography 1 x trainer– IZON, France Markus Bergqvist – University of Gothenburg, Sweden Juliette Delas – Institut Curie, France Vincent Hyenne – Université de Strasbourg, France Kuang-Jing Huang – Centre de Recherche en Biomédecine de Strasbourg, France Estefanía Lozano-Andres – Utrecht University, The Netherlands Lorena Martin Jaular – Institut Curie , France Practical ONI (carried out by trainers): Surface Preparation, CHIP demonstration	Training Lab A&B
11:15 – 11:45	Coffee break	Courtyard room
11:45 – 12:45	Practical 2 (continued) Collect and process fractions from density gradients Markus Bergqvist – University of Gothenburg, Sweden Rossella Crescitelli – University of Gothenburg Sweden Juliette Delas – Institut Curie, France Estefanía Lozano-Andres – Utrecht University, The Netherlands Lorena Martin Jaular – Institut Curie , France Cláudio Pinheiro – Ghent University, Belgium ONI: Washing step, Fixation, Blocking	Training Lab A&B
12:45 – 13:30	Lunch	EMBL Canteen
13:30 – 13:45	Course group photo	ATC entrance
13:45 – 14:15	Lecture: Single EV analysis (RCR) André Görgens – Karolinska Institutet, Sweden	Courtyard room
14:15 – 14:30	Q&A of previous lecture	Courtyard room
14:30 – 15:45	Practical 4: Particle analysis 4A: Nanoparticle tracking analysis Rossella Crescitelli, University of Gothenburg Sweden Christina Klasen – Particle Metrix, Germany 4B: Super resolution microscopy 2 trainers – ONI Bio, The Netherlands Kuang-Jing Huang – Centre de Recherche en Biomédecine de Strasbourg, France 4C: High-sensitivity flow cytometry André Görgens – Karolinska Institutet, Sweden Estefanía Lozano-Andres – Utrecht University, The Netherlands Rotation 1	Training Lab A&B
15:45- 16:15	Coffee break	Courtyard room
16:15- 17:30	Practical 4: Particle analysis 4A: Nanoparticle tracking analysis Rossella Crescitelli, University of Gothenburg Sweden Christina Klasen – ParticleMetrix, Germany 4B: Super resolution microscopy 2 trainers – ONI Bio, The Netherlands Center for Biomedical Research of Strasbourg 4C: High-sensitivity flow cytometry André Görgens – Karolinska Institutet, Sweden Estefanía Lozano-Andres – Utrecht University, The Netherlands Rotation 2	Training Lab A&B
17:30- 18:45	Practical 4: Particle analysis 4A: Nanoparticle tracking analysis Rossella Crescitelli, University of Gothenburg Sweden Christina Klasen – ParticleMetrix, Germany 4B: Super resolution microscopy 2 trainers – ONI Bio, The Netherlands Center for Biomedical Research of Strasbourg 4C: High-sensitivity flow cytometry André Görgens – Karolinska Institutet, Sweden Estefanía Lozano-Andres – Utrecht University, The Netherlands Rotation 3	Training Lab A&B
18:45 – 19:15	Tapas dinner	ATC Rooftop lounge
19:15- 21:15	Poster session 1 with drinks	ATC Rooftop lounge – top of Helix A
21:15	Bus departure from EMBL to ISG Hotel	EMBL ATC entrance

Time (Europe/Berlin)	Session	Location
08:40	Bus departure from ISG Hotel to EMBL	ISG Hotel entrance
08:45 – 09:00	Arrival at EMBL and coffee	Courtyard room
09:00 – 09:10	Introduction of speakers Moderator for the day: Lorena Martin-Jaular – Institut Curie, France	Courtyard room
09:10 – 10:45	Group exercise: Data analysis of NTA and Flow data Tutor/trainers: Markus Bergqvist – University of Gothenburg, Sweden Rossella Crescitelli– Karolinska Institutet, Sweden André Görgens – Karolinska Institutet, Sweden Kuang-Jing Huang – Centre de Recherche en Biomédecine de Strasbourg, France Estefania Lozano-Andres – Utrecht University, Netherlands	Courtyard room
10:45 – 11:15	Coffee break	Courtyard room
11:15 – 11:45	Lecture: EV characterization by transmission electron microscopy and western blot analysis (RCR) Vincent Hyenne – Université de Strasbourg, France	Courtyard room
11:45 – 12:00	Q&A of previous lecture	Courtyard room
12:00 – 13:00	Lunch	EMBL Canteen
13:00 – 13:30	Lecture: EVs in bacterial, parasitic and viral infections Esther Nolte-‘t-Hoen – Utrecht University, The Netherlands	Courtyard room
13:30 – 13:45	Q&A of previous lecture	Courtyard room
13:45 – 17:15 3 groups rotating (60 min per group)	Practicals 5,6,7 in parallel 3 groups rotating Practical 5: EM Grid Preparation Rossella Crescitelli (training lab) + 1 helper Practical 6: EM Imaging Group a: with Vincent Hyenne (EMBL EM core facility) Group b: with Kuang-Jing Huang (EMBL EM core facility) with Guillaume Van Niel supporting as a trainer between groups Practical 7: EV-TRACK analysis with An Hendrix, Cláudio Pinheiro (RCR) With flexible coffee break
17:15 – 19:15	Poster session 2 with drinks	ATC Rooftop lounge – top of Helix A
19:15 – 20:15	Pizza dinner	ATC Rooftop lounge
20:15	Bus departure from EMBL to ISG Hotel	EMBL ATC entrance

Time (Europe/Berlin)	Location	Location
08:40	Bus departure from ISG Hotel to EMBL	ISG Hotel entrance
08:45 – 09 00	Arrival at EMBL and coffee	Courtyard room
09:00 – 09:10	Introduction of speakers Moderator for the day: André Görgens – Karolinska Institutet, Sweden	Courtyard room
09:10 – 09:40	Lecture: Proteomics (RCR) Suresh Mathivanan – La Trobe University, Australia (Virtual speaker)	Courtyard room
09:40 – 09:55	Q&A of previous lecture	Courtyard room
09:55 – 11:15	Practical 8: Bio-informatics Suresh Mathivanan – La Trobe University, Australia (Virtual trainer)	Computer Training Lab
11:15 – 12:15	Practical 9: Software tutorial (superresolution microscopy) and data analysis (ONI) Cláudio Pinheiro – Ghent University, Belgium	Computer Training Lab
12:15 – 13:15	Lunch	Canteen
13:15 – 13:45	Lecture: Transcriptomics (RCR) Cláudio Pinheiro – Ghent University, Belgium	Courtyard room
13:45 – 14:00	Q&A of previous lecture	Courtyard room
14:00 – 14:30	Lecture: Lipidomics Alicia Llorente – Oslo University Hospital, Norway	Courtyard room
14:30 – 14:45	Q&A of previous lecture	Courtyard room
14:45 – 17:15	Practical 10. Data analysis in groups Tutor/trainers: Markus Bergqvist – University of Gothenburg, Sweden Rossella Crescitelli– Karolinska Institutet, Sweden Juliette Delas – Institut Curie, France André Görgens – Karolinska Institutet, Sweden Kuang-Jing Huang – Centre de Recherche en Biomédecine de Strasbourg, France Vincent Hyenne – Université de Strasbourg, France Estefania Lozano-Andres – Utrecht University, Netherlands Lorena Martin-Jaular – Institut Curie, France Cláudio Pinheiro– Ghent University, Belgium	Courtyard room and FlexLabs A & B
17:15 – 17:45	Lecture: Preparation of EVs from tissues (RCR) Rossella Crescitelli – University of Gothenburg Sweden	Courtyard room
17:45 – 18:00	Q&A of previous lecture	Courtyard room
18:00 – 18:45	Bus transfer to the Altstadt	EMBL ATC entrance to the Heidelberg Aldstadt
18:45 – 19:45	Free time	Heidelberg Aldstadt
19:45 – 22:30	Course Dinner in Heidelberg Altstadt	Kulturbraurei, Leyergasse 6, 69117 Heidelberg

Time (Europe/Berlin)	Session	Location
08:40	Bus departure from ISG Hotel to EMBL	ISG Hotel entrance
08:45- 09 00	Arrival at EMBL and coffee	Courtyard room
09:00 – 09:10	Introduction of speakers Moderator for the day: Vincent Hyenne – Université de Strasbourg, France	Courtyard room
09:10 – 11:00	Final presentations by participants and discussion	Courtyard room
11:00 – 11:30	Lecture: EV clinical applications Mario Gimona – Paracelsus Medical University, Austria	Courtyard room
11:30 – 11:45	Q&A of previous lecture	Courtyard room
11:45 – 12:15	Lecture: In vivo function of EVs Michiel Pegtel – Amsterdam UMC, The Netherlands	Courtyard room
12:15 – 12:30	Q&A of previous lecture	Courtyard room
12:30 – 14:30	Meet the expert with lunch in the ATC Rooftop lounge	ATC Rooftop Lounge
14:30 – 15:00	Debrief by organisers, feedback and close	Courtyard room
15:20	Shuttle bus from EMBL to the Heidelberg train station	EMBL ATC entrance

The course is limited to 24 participants. For selection purposes, please note that your application will not be considered without a letter of motivation.

Registration fees

Your registration for the event includes:

• Admission to the event
• Possibility to submit an abstract (if applicable)
• Meals and coffee breaks
• Course materials
• Access to the e-learning platform
• A letter to support your visa application (for more information, check the ‘Travel and accommodation’ tab)

For this EMBO course, the fees include accommodation and transportation to and from the ISG Hotel to the venue

Academia	€525
PhD Student	€525
Industry	€1000

Confirmation and payment

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

Cancellation policy

If you are no longer able to take part in the course, please inform your course contact responsible for this event. Your registration and the submitted motivation letter will be deleted.

Please also check our Terms and Conditions for the cancellation policy.

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 2,000 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 detailed instructions, please watch our video on how to submit a course motivation letter.

Please note it is not possible to apply after the motivation letter deadline!

Selection

The selection results will be announced by email to all applicants. We aim to announce 3 weeks (21 days) after the motivation letter submission deadline but delays may occur.

Further details

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

Financial assistance

Limited financial assistance is provided by the EMBL Advanced Training Centre Corporate Partnership Programme and EMBO in the form of travel grants, childcare grants, and accessibility grants.

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

Travel grant

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

• up to €500 for any participant travelling to an EMBO Practical Course.

• up to €1000 for any participant working in Chile, India, Singapore, or Taiwan travelling to an EMBO Practical Course.

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.

Childcare grants

There is the possibility to apply for a childcare grant to offset child care costs incurred by participants, speakers, trainers, and organisers when attending a course. Eligible costs include (but are not limited to) fees for a babysitter, child-care facility, or travel costs for a caregiver. Please note that priority will be given to early-stage researchers. There is a limited amount of funding available for the childcare grants and funds will be distributed amongst eligible applicants.

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

European Foundation for Urology (EFU) Grants

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

The EFU fellowship covers full costs related to your attendance at the course (registration fee, travel and accommodation costs). The grant is restricted to supporting academic or clinical PhD students and postdoctoral researchers whose primary research areas maybe on cancers broadly, but must especially demonstrate in the course motivation letter clear relatability or knowledge transferability to urological cancers (prostate, bladder, kidney, testicular, penile, and urethral cancers).

To qualify for the EFU fellowship, applicants are required to include a brief statement in their motivation letter explaining how this is evident.

The scope of the full grant includes the following:

• Fee waver will cover the registration sum that you have paid to attend the course

• additionally up to €400 for participants travelling to an EMBL Course within Europe or

• additionally up to €1000 for participants travelling to an EMBL Course from outside Europe

The funded participants are required to submit a personal curriculum vitae, as well as a letter of recommendation from their host institution or laboratory. In addition, awardees must provide a short report within 30 days after the course completion, describing how their participation benefited them and contributed to the advancement of their research (up to 2,000 characters).

EMBO accessibility grant

For EMBO Practical Course participants with accessibility needs, there is the possibility to apply for an accessibility grant to offset costs incurred by participants or speakers when participating at a course. Eligible costs include costs incurred for equipment or adaptations to the course environment, or travel costs for an event companion to assist the participant or speaker during the course where necessary. While we do our best to accommodate needs, please note that extensive changes to the course environment might not be possible. Priority will be given to early-stage researchers.

A maximum amount of €500 can be awarded per participant applying for an EMBO accessibility grant. In order to apply for this grant for EMBO Practical Courses, you must be registered by the application deadline. 

Application

You may apply for financial assistance when submitting your motivation letter. In the application system, you will be asked which type of grant you want to apply for.

Applications for financial support will not influence the outcome of the selection results.

Results

Grant allocations are announced by email to all applicants after the selection results.

Selection for financial assistance is based on scientific merit, your current work or study location, the reasons for needing financial support, and the impact this event will have on your career.

Please note that for childcare grants, priority will be given to early-stage researchers.

Further details

Check out this list of external funding opportunities. 

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

Visa

We can send you a registration confirmation to support your visa procedure (not an official invitation letter). Please contact the Conference Officer responsible for your event. Read our FAQ for more information.

Travel

If you are travelling to Heidelberg via aeroplane, train, car, or long-distance bus, you can find useful information on our travel information page.

Accommodation

Accommodation in twin rooms, including breakfast is also part of the registration fee. Information will be available soon.

Please note that as of 1 October 2025, Heidelberg City Council is introducing an overnight stay tax for tourists visiting Heidelberg (including work related trips). The cost will be 3.50 EUR per night for the first five nights of a consecutive stay and will be added to the hotel’s nightly rate. Please contact the individual hotel directly if you have any questions.

Local transportation

Course shuttle buses

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.

Other local transportation

In addition to the shuttle busses, there is also the public bus 28 that serves the EMBL campus and taxis can be easily booked at any time. For more information, please refer to the local transportation (RNV) website.

You may also walk from the ISG Hotel to EMBL (takes up to 30 minutes)

Map to walk from ISG Hotel to EMBL

Further details

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

For more information about accommodation and travel, please refer to the FAQ page.

Here you will find useful information for when you are onsite at the event.

Catering

All meals and coffee breaks are included in the registration fee. Our catering staff will prepare a variety of vegetarian meals, meat and fish dishes, soups, pasta, fresh fruit and vegetables, as well as a variety of desserts.

Please wear your badge at all times when serving yourself.

No food or drinks are allowed in the computer training lab or wet labs.

Internet

Wi-Fi is available on campus using the EMBL-Events network and the event specific password, which will be provided on site. The eduroam network (secure, worldwide roaming access service developed for the international research and education community) is also available.

Photography

During the conference, an EMBL Photographer may be taking photos. If you would not like to appear in these, please inform the photographer or a member of the Course and Conference Office.

Charging stations

There are lockers available next to the stairs leading down into the Auditorium. You will find some of those equipped with sockets to charge your smartphone/tablet etc.

In most places the electricity is 220 volts AC (50 cycles). An adaptor and a plug that fits the German socket may be needed for your appliances/laptop (i.e. American, Japanese, etc.). A USB charging station for electronic devices is available at the registration desk.

Printing

We can help to print your boarding pass/train ticket. Please send it to events@embl.de and collect your print-outs at the registration desk.

Luggage

There are lockers available on-site to store your luggage, which require a 2 EURO coin to operate. There is another luggage room on level E0, which is free to use but remains unlocked during the course.

Lost and found

‘’Lost and Found’’ items are kept at the registration desk until the end of the course.

Nursing room

There is a nursing room available in the ATC Rooftop Lounge on level A29.

Room for prayers, meditation, and yoga

There is a room for prayer, yoga, and meditation, located on level E0 behind the Auditorium. Please be respectful of others using the room.

EMBL campus map

Health and safety notes

Please take a moment to read our health and safety policy.

• Do not smoke in any EMBL building.
• Eating and drinking is prohibited in the Auditorium and all laboratories.
• Do not enter any restricted areas or the laboratories unless instructed to do so.

If first aid is required

• The first aid room is located next to the ATC Registration Desk (room 10- 205).
• Dial the Emergency number 222 from any EMBL internal phone only.
• Be prepared to answer the following questions: Where is the accident? What happened? How many injured?
• Emergency number 06221-387 7821 from mobile phones.
• Please report all accidents to the conference officer at the registration desk.

In case of fire

• Press the nearest fire alarm button or the Emergency number 222 from any internal phone.
• A loud fire alarm will go off if an evacuation is required. On hearing the alarm leave the building immediately following the escape route and fire wardens and head to one of the meeting points
• Do not use the lifts.

Beyond first aid

The Heidelberg University Hospital or ‘Universitätsklinikum‘ has a 24 hour accident and emergency facility and is at ‘Im Neuenheimer Feld 672’. It is a 8km or a 20 minute taxi ride away from EMBL. In a medical emergency, the ambulance service generally transports patients to this hospital.

Please remember to bring your own medication, if needed, to the conference. Note that the next pharmacy is a 4-minute drive from the EMBL, but for many medications you will be required to see a doctor to get a prescription.

Ensure in advance that your medical insurance will cover you during your visit in the event that you do need to see a doctor while in Heidelberg.

The EMBL course and conference office team are able to advise you on where to turn for emergency or non-emergency medical treatment in Heidelberg and can assist you in making appointments and / or arranging transport to get to the pharmacy or a doctor of your choice if necessary. Please note, we are not however permitted to personally accompany you off-campus.

Sightseeing

A variety of activities in Heidelberg can be found on the website of Heidelberg Marketing.

Please find additional information including FAQs and terms and conditions on our Information for Participants page.