Edit
Advanced fluorescence imaging techniques – Course and Conference Office

EMBL Course

Advanced fluorescence imaging techniques

Overview

Course overview

This practical course will cover advanced light microscopy techniques and participants will learn how to derive qualitative and quantitative insights on molecular mechanisms in cells and developing organisms. Invited guest researchers together with microscopy experts from EMBL will foster an intense information flow with a balance of lectures and practical workshops. The focus of the course will be on the use of fluorescence microscopy to obtain information about localisation and functions of proteins and other bio-molecules at different spatial scales.

Audience

This course is directed towards researchers in the life sciences with access to light microscopy equipment, who have an immediate need to apply the techniques they will learn to solve biological problems at the cellular and molecular level in vivo. As the course will be primarily focused on the advanced techniques, we expect participants to have basic knowledge of light microscopy.

This course is organised in cooperation with Evident.

Modules / Resources

The topics will include fluorescence microscopy techniques such as fast time-lapse microscopy of living cells, spinning disk and point-scanning confocal microscopy of large (3D) samples, photo-manipulation as a tool, multicolour single-molecule localization microscopy (SMLM) with spectral demixing, expansion microscopy, FRET-based techniques. For demanding applications, we will cover the aspects of image processing and analysis and the possibilities of microscope automation. The modules will cover all necessary knowledge and demonstrate tools to conduct similar pipelines at your home lab enabling you to answer emerging biological questions.

Learning outcomes

  • Get an overview of advanced fluorescence imaging techniques.
  • Obtain hands-on experience setting up and running advanced experiments on modern fluorescence microscopes.
  • Discuss the possibilities and drawbacks of experiment planning and data interpretation with experts in the field.
  • This course is kindly supported by the EMBL Advanced Light Microscopy Facility.
  • This course is organised in cooperation with Evident.

What past participants say

“I highly recommend this course if you are looking to take your fluorescence microscopy experiments to the next level.” – Josefina Marin-Rojas, Universidad de Chile, Chile

Speakers

Speakers, trainers, and staff

Yannick Nossin

CellSignal

The Netherlands

Ipek Altinoglu

Abbelight

France

Mark Hink

University of Amsterdam

Netherlands

Viktor Jakob

Evident

Germany

Robert Kasper

Evident

Germany

Simone Köhler

EMBL Heidelberg

Germany

Kaarjel Narayanasamy

EMBL Heidelberg

Germany

Marianna Poli

Euro-Bioimaging

Germany

Anja Zimmermann

Rapp OptoElectronic GmbH

Germany

Scientific organisers

Course organisers

Luana Ribeiro

Course and Conference

Officer

EMBL Heidelberg

Germany

Swetlana Krez

Swetlana Krez

Scientific Training

Officer

EMBL Heidelberg

Germany

Preliminary programme

Preliminary programme

Day 1 – Sunday, 12 May 2024
Time (Europe/Berlin)SpeakerLocation
15:30 – 16:00RegistrationISG Hotel – Seminar Room Weimar
16:00 – 16:30WelcomeISG Hotel – Seminar Room Weimar
16:30 – 19:00Flash talks by participantsISG Hotel – Seminar Room Weimar
19:00 – 21:00DinnerISG Hotel
Day 2 – Monday, 13 May 2024

Time (Europe/ Berlin)SpeakerLocation
08:40Bus from ISG Hotel to EMBLHotel entrance
08:55 – 09:00EMBL introduction, house notes and lab safetyCourtyard Room A & B
09:00 – 10:00Lecture + Q&A: Concepts in Light microscopy
Urs Ziegler – University of Zurich, Switzerland
Courtyard Room A & B
10:00 – 11:00Lecture + Q&A: DIY super-resolution: Expanding biology above diffraction
Pedro Matos Pereira – ITQB, Portugal
Courtyard Room A & B
11:00 – 11:20Coffee BreakCourtyard Room A & B
11:20 – 12:05Lecture + Q&A: Multimodal imaging driven insight into pulmonary fibrosis: from model system to drug discovery
Muzamil Khan – EMBL Heidelberg, Germany
Courtyard Room A & B
12:05 – 12:30Lecture + Q&A: Specificity is key: A Spotlight on Cell Signaling Technology innovative solutions in multiplex IHC
Yannick Nossin – CellSignal, The Netherlands
Courtyard Room A & B
12:30 – 13:30LunchEMBL Canteen
13:30 – 16:00Hands-on practical 1:
Live cell imaging

Joana Delgado – University of Zurich, Switzerland
Urs Ziegler – University of Zurich, Switzerland
(Groups 1+2)

3D imaging of model organisms with CLSM
Stefan Terjung – EMBL, Heidelberg, Germany
Stefan Marawske – Evident, Germany
(Groups 3+4)
Microscopy rooms 116 + 117
16:00 – 16:15Coffee breakCourtyard Room A & B
16:15 – 18:45Hands-on practical 2:

3D imaging of model organisms with CLSM
Stefan Terjung – EMBL, Heidelberg, Germany Stefan Marawske – Evident, Germany
(Groups 1+2)

Live cell imaging
Joana Delgado – University of Zurich, Switzerland Urs Ziegler – University of Zurich, Switzerland
(Groups 1+2)


Microscopy rooms 116 + 117




Computer Training Lab
18:45 – 19:45DinnerEMBL Canteen
19:45Bus to HotelATC Entrance
Day 3 – Tuesday, 14 May 2024
Time (Europe/ Berlin)SpeakerLocation
08:40Bus from ISG Hotel to EMBLHotel entrance
09:00 – 09:50Lecture + Q&A: Adaptive Feedback Microscopy
Aliaksandr Halavatyi – EMBL Heidelberg, Germany
Courtyard Room A & B
09:50 – 10:50Lecture + Q&A: Visualizing chromosomes during meiosis
Simone Köhler – EMBL Heidelberg, Germany
Courtyard Room A & B
10:50 – 11:10Coffee breakCourtyard Room A & B
11:10 – 11:30Lecture: How Euro-BioImaging can support your research with access to the best imaging
Marianna Poli – Euro-Bioimaging
11:30 – 12:30Practical: Setting and debugging adaptive feedback microscopy pipelines
Manuel Gunkel – EMBL Heidelberg, Germany
Computer training lab
12:30 – 13:30LunchEMBL Canteen
13:30 – 16:00Hands-on practical 3:

Applying adaptive feedback microscopy for high-throughput photoactivation of specific cell phenotypes
Aliaksandr Halavatyi – EMBL Heidelberg, Germany
Manuel Gunkel – EMBL Heidelberg, Germany
(Group 1)

Deciphering Spatial Patterns: The Crucial ‘Where’ in Multiplexed Immunofluorescence within Patient Tissues
Muzamil Khan – EMBL Heidelberg, Germany Yannick Nossin – CellSignal, The Netherlands
(Group 2)

Deconvolution
Urs Ziegler – University of Zurich, Switzerland
(Group 3+4)
Microscopy rooms 116 + 117
16:00 – 16:15Coffee breakCourtyard Room A & B
16:15 – 18:45Hands-on practical 4:

Applying adaptive feedback microscopy for high-throughput photoactivation of specific cell phenotypes
Aliaksandr Halavatyi – EMBL Heidelberg, Germany Manuel Gunkel – EMBL Heidelberg, Germany
(Groups 3)

Deciphering Spatial Patterns: The Crucial ‘Where’ in Multiplexed Immunofluorescence within Patient Tissues
Muzamil Khan – EMBL Heidelberg, Germany Yannick Nossin – CellSignal, The Netherlands (Group 4)

Deconvolution
Urs Ziegler – University of Zurich, Switzerland
(Groups 1+2)


Computer training lab









Microscopy rooms 116 + 117
18:45 – 20:00Pizza dinner and informal discussion
20:00Bus to HotelATC entrance
Day 4 – Wednesday, 15 May 2024
Time (Europe/ Berlin)SpeakerLocation
08:40Bus from ISG Hotel to EMBLHotel entrance
09:00 – 09:45Lecture + Q&A: Introduction to SMLM, from concepts to samples
Benjamin Compans – Abbelight, France
Courtyard Room A & B
09:45 – 10:45Lecture + Q&A: Measuring interactions and biosensors using FRET
Mark Hink – University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Courtyard Room A & B
10:45 – 11:15Coffee break
11:15 – 12:30Practical: Preparation of expansion microscopy samples
Pedro Matos Pereira- ITQB, Portugal
Training Lab
12:30 – 13:30LunchEMBL Canteen
13:30-16:00Hands-on practical 5

Multicolor Single molecule Localization Microscopy with Spectral Demixing
Benjamin Compans – Abbelight, France (Group 2)

Deciphering Spatial Patterns: The Crucial ‘Where’ in Multiplexed Immunofluorescence within Patient Tissues
Muzamil Khan – EMBL Heidelberg, Germany Yannick Nossin – CellSignal, The Netherlands
(Group 1)

FRET
Mark Hink – University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands (Group 4)

Imaging expanded samples
Pedro Matos Pereira- ITQB, Portugal
(Group 3)
Microscopy rooms 116 + 117
16:00-16:15Coffee breakCourtyard Room A & B
16:15-18:45Hands-on practical 6:

Deciphering Spatial Patterns: The Crucial ‘Where’ in Multiplexed Immunofluorescence within Patient Tissues
Muzamil Khan – EMBL Heidelberg, Germany Yannick Nossin – CellSignal, The Netherlands (Group 3)

Multicolor Single molecule Localization Microscopy with Spectral Demixing
Benjamin Compans – Abbelight, France (Group 4)

Imaging expanded samples
Pedro Matos Pereira- ITQB, Portugal
(Group 1)

FRET
Mark Hink – University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands
(Group 2)
Microscopy rooms 116 + 117
18:45 Bus to dinner downtownATC entrance
19:30 Dinner downtown
Day 5 – Thursday, 16 May 2024
Time (Europe/ Berlin)SpeakerLocation
09:00 – 10:00Lecture + Q&A: The Benchtop mesoSPIM: a facility-grade open-source microscope for large cleared samples
Nikita Vladimirov – University of Zurich, Switzerland
Courtyard Room A & B
10:00 – 11:00Lecture + Q&A: Small-molecule fluorophores for biological imaging
Claire Deo – EMBL Heidelberg, Germany
Courtyard Room A & B
11:00 – 11:30Coffee breakCourtyard Room A & B
11:30 – 12:30Lecture + Q&A: True molecular resolution imaging: Fluorescence imaging with a spatial resolution in the one-digit nanometer range Markus Sauer – University of Würzburg, GermanyCourtyard Room A & B
12:30 – 13:30LunchEMBL Canteen
13:30-16:00Hands-on practical 7:

FRET
Mark Hink – University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands
(Group 3)

Imaging expanded samples
Pedro Matos Pereira- ITQB, Portugal
(Group 4)

Applying adaptive feedback microscopy for high-throughput photoactivation of specific cell phenotypes
Aliaksandr Halavatyi – EMBL Heidelberg, Germany
Manuel Gunkel – EMBL Heidelberg, Germany (Group 2)

Multicolor Single molecule Localization Microscopy with Spectral Demixing
Benjamin Compans – Abbelight, France
(Group 1)
Microscopy rooms 116 + 117
16:00-16:15Coffee breakCourtyard Room A & B
16:15-18:45Hands-on practical 8:

Imaging expanded samples
Pedro Matos Pereira- ITQB, Portugal
(Group 2)

FRET
Mark Hink – University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands
(Group 1)

Multicolor Single molecule Localization Microscopy with Spectral Demixing
Benjamin Compans – Abbelight, France
(Group 3)

Applying adaptive feedback microscopy for high-throughput photoactivation of specific cell phenotypes
Aliaksandr Halavatyi – EMBL Heidelberg, Germany
Manuel Gunkel – EMBL Heidelberg, Germany (Group 4)
Microscopy rooms 116 + 117
18:45 – 19:45DinnerEMBL Canteen
19:45 – 20:45Informal Q&A, discussion and drinksCourtyard Room A & B
20:45Departure to HotelATC entrance
Day 6 – Friday, 17 May 2024
Time (Europe/ Berlin)SpeakerLocation
09:00 – 10:30Practical: FRET data analysis
Mark Hink – University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Computer training lab
10:30 – 11:00Coffee breakoutside Computer training lab
11:00 – 12:30Practical: SMLM data analysis
Marko Lampe – EMBL Heidelberg, Germany
Computer training lab
12:30 – 13:30LunchEMBL Canteen
13:30 – 14:45Preparation of student presentationsComputer training lab
14:45 – 16:15Student presentationsComputer training lab
16:15 – 16:45Wrap up of course and departureComputer training lab
16:45Bus to Heidelberg main stationATC entrance

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, meals and coffee breaks. Participants are expected to book and pay their own accommodation and travel expenses. 

Academia€625
PhD Student€625
Industry€1150

A letter to support your visa application will be issued, on request, once payment of the registration fee is confirmed. We recommend that you book your visa appointment as soon as possible, to avoid any delay with your visa application.

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 detailed instructions, please watch 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 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/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 within Europe.

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

– 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.

– up to €700 for any participant working in Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Poland, Slovenia, and Turkey travelling to an EMBO Practical Course.

*Registration fees are only covered for EMBO Practical Courses

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

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 motivation letter submission process.

This grant covers costs related to your attendance at 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 motivation letter for courses. 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.

For the Boehringer Ingelheim Fonds Travel Grant, there is a pre-application question during the motivation letter submission process, and if selected you will be requested to complete a standard form and documentation consisting of your travel expense estimation.

Selection

The scientific organisers will select the recipients of registration fee waivers and travel grants 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 for registration fee waivers and travel grants 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.

Childcare grants will be allocated in the same timeframe (6-8 weeks before the event start date). Please note that priority will be given to early-stage researchers.

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

Accommodation and travel

Travel information

For travel information, please see here.

If you are travelling to the conference within Germany then you are eligible for the Deutsche Bahn ‘Event Ticket’ (called the ‘Veranstaltungsticket’ in German). This will result in a lower ticket price if your travel distance to Heidelberg is more than 100 km. You need to provide proof of your event attendance when purchasing the ticket.

For more information in English see here or in German see here.

You can book your ticket here.

Hotel

Accommodation is not included in the registration fee. Participants are expected to book and pay for their own accommodation. A mix of single and twin rooms have been reserved for 5 nights 12 -17 May 2024 at ISG Hotel.  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 MIC24-02 by the deadline of 14 April 2024. We recommend that all course participants stay in 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 more information about accommodation and travel, please refer to the FAQ page.

On-site information

Catering

All meals and coffee breaks are included in the registration fee. Our catering staff will prepare a wide 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.

Electricity and charging station

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.

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 or get in contact with your Course Organiser.

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

Health and safety notes

Please read EMBL’s COVID-19 safety policy for on-site events.
Do not smoke in any EMBL building.
Eating and drinking is prohibited in 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.
  • 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…

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. In any case, the EMBL Course and Conference Office will assist you to get to the pharmacy and a doctor of your choice if necessary.

Internet

Wi-Fi is available on campus. Log in 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.

Lost and found

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

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.

Nursing room

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

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.

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.

Room for prayer, yoga, and meditation

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

Sightseeing

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

Travel to and from the venue

During the event, we provide conference shuttle buses to and from EMBL. In addition, there is the public bus 39A that serves the EMBL campus and taxis can be easily booked at any time. Information on the shuttle buses can be found on the individual event website and more detailed information on travelling to EMBL can be found on our Travel Information page.

Additional information

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

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

Technical requirements and event software

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.

COVID-19 related questions

COVID-19 information for on-site events at EMBL Heidelberg can be found in our COVID-19 FAQs.

Sponsors

Event Partners

Event Sponsors

Media partners

Imaging and Microscopy, a Wiley magazine

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 events, 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.

Warning

EMBL wishes to warn sponsors of EMBL conferences and courses of fraudulent schemes purporting to offer sponsorship opportunities on behalf of EMBL or affiliated with EMBL officials. One current scam campaign of which we are aware is conducted using the name ‘Judy Eastman’ (judy@gopcontact.a2hosted.com) and entails approaches to sponsors offering sponsorship opportunities on EMBL’s behalf. Please be kindly advised that all relevant communication regarding sponsorship of EMBL conferences, symposia and courses is handled by EMBL directly and is sent from an official EMBL account. EMBL does not work with any external providers on sponsorship acquisition.

Please also note that:

  • EMBL never provides attendee lists for purchase. Any offers of such are fraudulent.
  • EMBL will never call or email you to ask for your credit card details or to request a payment.
  • All payments are on invoice.

Suspicious communications purportedly from, for or on behalf of EMBL should be reported to EMBL at the following email address sponsorship@embl.de.

Media Kit

Want to let others know you’re attending this event? Take a look at our shareable media and feel free to use them in your social media channels or presentations.

Social 1080×1920

Social 1080×1080
Social 1600×900
PPT Slide 16×9

Date: 12 - 17 May 2024

Location: EMBL Heidelberg

Venue: EMBL Advanced Training Centre


Deadline(s):

Closed


Organisers:

  • Joana Delgado Martins
    University of Zurich, Switzerland

What's new on our blog

Edit