Genome engineering: CRISPR/Cas in cells and mice

Time (Europe/Berlin)	Session	Location
16:00-16:30	Welcome	EMBL
16:30- 18:00	Icebreaker: Flash talks by participants	EMBL
18:00- 19:00	Keynote Lecture: Introduction to CRISPR/Cas 9 Dana Carroll – University of Utah, School of Medicine, USA	EMBL
19:00	Dinner	EMBL

Time (Europe / Berlin)	Session	Location
08:40	Bus to EMBL ATC	Hotel
08:55-09:00	Overview of the day	FlexLabs
09:00-09:15	Lab Safety EMBL Heidelberg, Germany	Flex Labs
09:15-10:15	Lecture: Purification of Cas9 protein Kim Remans – EMBL Heidelberg, Germany	Flex Labs
10:15-11:15	Lecture: CRISPR-Cas genome editing to generate transgenic mice Neil Humphreys – EMBL Rome, Italy	Flex Labs
11:15-11:45	Coffee break	Flex Labs
11:45-12:45	All participants: Intro: CRISPR-Cas genome editing in mammalian cells Kristof Kersse – Thermo Fisher Scientific Ian Pringle – Thermo Fisher Scientific	Flex Labs
12:45-13:45	Lunch	EMBL Canteen
13:45-15:00	All participants: Practical: gRNA design manual approach Ian Pringle – Thermo Fisher Scientific	Flex Labs
15:00-16:00	All participants: Practical: gRNA design (Basics and Benchling) Birgit Koch – Max Planck Institute for Medical Research, Germany	Flex Labs
16:00-16:30	Coffee break	Flex Labs
16:30-17:15	Mammalian Cell Group: TrueTag Donor Template Synthesis – PCR Emmanouela Soura – Thermo Fisher Scientific Ian Pringle – Thermo Fisher Scientific Kristof Kersse – Thermo Fisher Scientific	Training Lab A
16:30-17:15	Mouse Embryo Group: TLR2 system introduction. TLR2 electroporation. Glass transfer pipet prep, harvest embryos & describe injection mix prep. Neil Humphreys – EMBL Rome, Italy Michela Ascolani – EMBL Rome, Italy Maj Simonsen Jackson – EMBL Rome, Italy Alessandra Pisaniello – EMBL Rome, Italy Frank Diego Montoya Castillo – EMBL Heidelberg, Germany	Training Lab B
17:15-18:30	CRISPR/Cas in emerging organisms (including examples) Alexandre Paix – Max Planck Institute for Biology Tübingen, Germany	Flex Labs
18:30- 19:30	Dinner	EMBL Canteen
19:30 – 20:30	Mammalian Cell Group: TrueTag Donor Template Synthesis – Gel analysis and Clean-up Kristof Kersse – Thermo Fisher Scientific Ian Pringle – Thermo Fisher Scientific Emmanouela Soura – Thermo Fisher Scientific	Training Lab A
19:30-20:30	Mouse Embryo Group: Thawing blastocyst for ES cells derivation Neil Humphreys – EMBL Rome, Italy Michela Ascolani – EMBL Rome, Italy Frank Diego Montoya Castillo – EMBL Heidelberg, Germany Alessandra Pisaniello – EMBL Rome, Italy Maj Simonsen Jackson – EMBL Rome, Italy	Training Lab B
20:35	Bus to Hotel	ATC Entrance

Time (Europe/ Berlin)	Session	Location
08:40	Bus to EMBL ATC	Hotel
08:55- 09:00	Overview of the day	Flex Labs
9:00- 10:00	Lecture: Flow Cytometry Core Facility Daniel Gimenes – EMBL Heidelberg, Germany	Flex Labs
10:00-11:00	Mammalian Cell Group: Practical lecture: Generation and validation of endogenously tagged cell line Birgit Koch – Max Planck Institute for Medical Research, Germany	Flex Labs
10:00-11:00	Mouse Embryo Group: Practical: AAV infection Michela Ascolani – EMBL Rome, Italy Neil Humphreys – EMBL Rome, Italy Maj Simonsen Jackson – EMBL Rome, Italy	Training Lab B
11:00-12:45	Mammalian Cell Group: Practical: Group A: Transfection of endogenously tagged cell line: formation of RNP and transfection with CRISPR DNA extraction from 96-well plates Birgit Koch – Max Planck Institute for Medical Research, Germany Group B: True Design Tool and example exercises Kristof Kersse – Thermo Fisher Scientific, Germany	Cell culture
11:00-12:45	Mouse Embryo Group: 1st Microinjection, electroporation Electroporation only Michela Ascolani – EMBL Rome, Italy Maj Simonsen Jackson – EMBL Rome, Italy Microinjection demonstration Neil Humphreys – EMBL Rome, Italy Frank Diego Montoya Castillo – EMBL Heidelberg, Germany lessandra Pisaniello – EMBL Rome, Italy Sandra Stobrawa – Biozol/Calibre Scientific	Training Lab B LAR
12:45-13:45	Lunch	Flex Labs
13:45-15:30	Mammalian Cell Group: Practical: Group B: Transfection of endogenously tagged cell line: formation of RNP and transfection with CRISPR DNA extraction from 96-well plates Birgit Koch – Max Planck Institute for Medical Research, Germany Group A: True Design Tool and example exercises Kristof Kersse – Thermo Fisher Scientific, Germany	Flex Labs + Cell culture
13:45-15:30	Mouse Embryo Group: 2nd Microinjection, electroporation and AAV Electroporation & AAV Maj Simonsen Jackson – EMBL Rome, Italy Michela Ascolani – EMBL Rome, Italy Microinjection Neil Humphreys – EMBL Rome, Italy Frank Diego Montoya Castillo – EMBL Heidelberg, Germany Sandra Stobrawa – Biozol/Calibre Scientific	Training Lab B LAR
15:30- 16:00	Coffee BREAK	Flex Labs
16:00 – 18:00	Mammalian Cell Group: Group A: gRNA efficiency: Lipid transfection of 293FT cells with gRNA and Cas9 protein, Lipid transfection of 293FT-eBFP cells with gRNA, Cas9 protein and ssODN Emmanouela Soura – Thermo Fisher Scientific Kristoff Kersse – Thermo Fisher Scientific Group B: Individual project gRNA design Birgit Koch, Birgit Koch – Max Planck Institute for Medical Research, Germany Ian Pringle – Thermo Fisher Scientific	Flex Labs + Cell culture
16:00 – 18:00	Mouse Embryo Group: 3rd Microinjection, electroporation and AAV Electroporation Michela Ascolani – EMBL Rome, Italy Maj Simonsen Jackson – EMBL Rome, Italy Microinjection Neil Humphreys – EMBL Rome, Italy Frank Diego Montoya Castillo – EMBL Heidelberg, Germany Sandra Stobrawa – Biozol/Calibre Scientific	Training Lab B LAR
18:00- 19:00	Dinner in Canteen	EMBL Canteen
19:00- 20:30	Mammalian Cell Group: Group B: gRNA efficiency: Lipid transfection of 293FT cells with gRNA and Cas9 protein, Lipid transfection of 293FT-eBFP cells with gRNA, Cas9 protein and ssODN Kristoff Kersse – Thermo Fisher Scientific Emmanouela Soura – Thermo Fisher Scientific Group A: Individual project gRNA design Birgit Koch – Max Planck Institute for Medical Research, Germany Ian Pringle – Thermo Fisher Scientific	Cell culture
19:00- 20:30	Mouse Embryo Group: Extra time with Embryos microinjection and embryos transfer KSOM media O/N culture Student lead requests for extra training All trainers	Training Lab B
20:35	Bus to Hotel	ATC Entrance

Time (Europe/ Berlin)	Session	Location
08:40	Bus to EMBL ATC	Hotel
08:55-09:00	Overview of the day	Flex Labs
09:00-10:00	Lecture: Gene editing in different experimental models Antony Adamson – The University of Manchester, UK	Flex Labs
10:00-11:30	Mammalian Cell Group: Practical: Harvest cells and prepare for FACS analysis Birgit Koch – Max Planck Institute for Medical Research, Germany	Cell culture
10:00-11:00	Mouse Embryo Group: Practical: Assess and clean-up 2 cell microinjected embryos Frank Diego Montoya Castillo – EMBL Heidelberg, Germany Maj Simonsen Jackson – EMBL Rome, Italy	Training Lab B
11:00-11:45	Coffee break	Flex Labs
11:45-12:45	Lecture: Degron tags Andrew Wood – University of Edinburgh, UK	Flex Labs
12:45-13:45	Lunch	EMBL Canteen
13:45-15:45	Mammalian Cell Group: Group A: Tag Knock-in: Electroporation of 293FT with gRNA, Cas9 protein and TrueTag Emmanouela Soura – Thermo Fisher Scientific Kristof Kersse – Thermo Fisher Scientific, Germany Group B: Project discussion Birgit Koch – Max Planck Institute for Medical Research, Germany Ian Pringle – Thermo Fisher Scientific	Flex Labs + Cell culture
13:45-15:45	Mouse Embryo Group: Thaw pre-prepared blastocysts, assess viability, extract DNA. Design and set-up cut test PCR. Prepare agarose gel Michela Ascolani – EMBL Rome, Italy Neil Humphreys – EMBL Rome, Italy Maj Simonsen Jackson – EMBL Rome, Italy	Training Lab B
15:45-16:15	Coffee break	Flex Labs
16:15-18:15	Mammalian Cell Group: Group B: Tag Knock-in: Electroporation of 293FT with gRNA, Cas9 protein and TrueTag Kristof Kersse – Thermo Fisher Scientific Emmanouela Soura – Thermo Fisher Scientific Group A: Project discussion Birgit Koch – Max Planck Institute for Medical Research, Germany Ian Pringle – Thermo Fisher Scientific	Flex Labs + Cell culture
16:15-18:15	Mouse Embryo Group: Set up T7 assay and mutant-specific PCRs Run O/N (project discussion) Michela Ascolani – EMBL Rome, Italy Neil Humphreys – EMBL Rome, Italy Maj Simonsen Jackson – EMBL Rome, Italy	Training Lab B
18:15-20:30	Pizza Dinner & Discussion round and drinks: Ethical issues of CRISPR technology and genome engineering Lead: Antony Adamson – The University of Manchester, UK	Rooftop lounge
20:35	Bus to Hotel	ATC Entrance

Time (Europe/Berlin)	Session	Location
08:40	Bus to EMBL ATC	Hotel
08:55-09:00	Overview of the day	Flex Labs
09:00-10:00	Lecture: Imaged-based high-throughput screening RNAi vs CRISPR Beate Neumann – EMBL Heidelberg, Germany	Flex Labs
10:00-11:45	Mammalian Cell Group: GCD Cell Harvest and lysis, set up GCD PCR Kristof Kersse – Thermo Fisher Scientific Emmanouela Soura – Thermo Fisher Scientific, Germany	Cell culture + Training Lab A
10:00-11:45	Mouse Embryo Group: Assess and clean-up 4 to 8 cell embryos. Run Gels for PCRs. Analyze results. Cut out gel and submit for Sanger sequencing Michela Ascolani – EMBL Rome, Italy Neil Humphreys – EMBL Rome, Italy Maj Simonsen Jackson – EMBL Rome, Italy	Training Lab B
11:45-12:15	Group Photo
12:15-13:15	Lunch	EMBL Canteen
13:15-14:15	Lecture: The 3Cs technology for CRISPR gRNA library generation Manuel Kaulich – Goethe University, Germany	Flex Labs
14:15-16:30	Mammalian Cell Group: PCR analysis, set up GCD re-annealing reaction Set up digestion for GCD, gel purification & sample submission for sanger sequencing Gel analysis of GCD Kristof Kersse – Thermo Fisher Scientific Emmanouela Soura – Thermo Fisher Scientific Knock-In cell validation – Set up of PCR Birgit Koch – Max Planck Institute for Medical Research, Germany	Training Lab A
14:15-16:30	Mouse Embryo Group: Project discussion, focus on the analysis of sequencing data and design options. Thaw TLR2 embryos for imaging. Thaw Gab1 t2a mScarlet ES cells for FACS Michela Ascolani – EMBL Rome, Italy Neil Humphreys – EMBL Rome, Italy Antony Adamson – The University of Manchester, UK	Training Lab B
16:30-17:00	Coffee break	Flex Labs
17:00-17:30	Lecture: Gene-editing in goat embryos using cell electroporation and animal cloning Shahin Eghbalsaiedi – EMBL Heidelberg, Germany	Flex Labs
17:40	Bus downtown
18:30-20:00	Visit to Heidelberg
20:00-22:00	Course dinner

Time (Europe/ Berlin)	Session	Location
08:40	Bus to EMBL ATC	Hotel
08:55-09:00	Overview of the day	Flex Labs
9:00-10:30	Technology Lounge: Genome modification technologies Karl von Laer – New England Biolabs Marc Bleischwitz – IDT Technologies K.Julia Duda – IDT Technologies	Flex Labs
10:30-12:30 (with flexible coffe break)	Mammalian Cell Group: Examine BFP cells and TrueTag Knock-in via microscopy and FACS Kristof Kersse – Thermo Fisher Scientific Emmanouela Soura -Thermo Fisher Scientific Ian Pringle – Thermo Fisher Scientific	Cell culture+ Training Lab A
10:30-11:30	Mouse Embryo Group: FACS ES cells Gab1 t2a mScarlet Michela Ascolani – EMBL Rome, Italy Neil Humphreys – EMBL Rome, Italy Maj Simonsen Jackson – EMBL Rome, Italy	Training Lab B
11:30-12:30	Mouse Embryo Group: 5 participants: Image TLR2 embryos (ALMF) 5 participants: Project discussion Michela Ascolani – EMBL Rome, Italy Neil Humphreys – EMBL Rome, Italy Beate Neumann – EMBL Heidelberg, Germany Maj Simonsen Jackson – EMBL Rome, Italy	ALMF/ Flex Labs
12:30-13:30	Lunch	EMBL Canteen
13:30-15:45	Mammalian Cell Group: Knock-In cell validation – Gel, gel analysis Birgit Koch – Max Planck Institute for Medical Research, Germany	Training Lab A
13:30-14:30	Mouse Embryo Group: 5 participants: Image TLR2 embryos (ALMF) 5 participants: Project discussion Neil Humphreys – EMBL Rome, Italy Michela Ascolani – EMBL Rome, Italy Maj Simonsen Jackson – EMBL Rome, Italy Beate Neumann – EMBL Heidelberg, Germany	ALMF/ Flex Labs
14:30-15:45	Mouse Embryo Group: Tour of LAR Facility Frank Diego Montoya Castillo – EMBL Heidelberg, Germany	LAR
15:45-16:15	Solutions room and final words	Flex Labs
16:30	Bus shuttle downtown/ central station

The course is limited to 20 participants. For selection purposes, please note that your application will not be considered without a letter of motivation.

Registration fees

Your registration for this course 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)

Accommodation and travel are not included in the fees — participants are expected to book and pay their own expenses.

Academia	€840
PhD Student	€840
Industry	€1350

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.

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.

Further details

For further information about registration, please refer to the FAQ page.

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!

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 registration fee waivers, travel grants and childcare grants. 

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.

Travel grant

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

– up to €400 for participants travelling to an EMBL Course within Europe.

– up to €1000 for participants travelling to an EMBL Course from outside Europe.

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 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 or child-care facility and 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

Application

Whether you are attending onsite or virtually, to apply for financial assistance, please follow the steps in the application system. During the process of submitting your motivation letter to the system, you will be asked which type of grant you want to apply for.

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

Information about the grant will be sent out shortly after the motivation letter deadline.

Results

Grant allocations are announced by email to all applicants / submitters after the selections results.

Allocation results do not impact your selection to the course. 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.

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

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 is not included in the registration fee.

Participants are expected to book and pay for their own accommodation.

Single rooms have been reserved for 6 nights from 05 September to departure on 11 September 2026 at the Premiere Inn Heidelberg City. Single rooms are limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis.

After the selection process, selected participants should contact the hotel directly to make a booking with the booking code GEE26-01 by the deadline of Friday 07 August 2026.

We recommend that all course participants stay at the dedicated hotel for the course.

Local transportation

Course shuttle buses

Shuttle buses will go from the 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.

Further details

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

For more information about travel and accommodation, 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 laboratories

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 conference.

Lost and found

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

EMBL merchandise

If you are interested in purchasing EMBL merchandise (products presented in the glass display in the registration area), please email the EMBL shop to place an order.

Kindly note the EMBL shop is only open upon request and all purchases must be made in cash (Euros only).

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.

Technical requirements

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. 

Other information

While using the software during the course, please make sure you have nothing else using your bandwidth. We recommend using a wired connection.

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