Open access to cutting-edge electron and light microscopy
We provide researchers from Europe and beyond with a synergistic portfolio of imaging services including cryo-EM, super-resolution and intravital microscopy to enable new ground-breaking research that crosses the scales of biology.
We are delighted to invite you to the EMBL Imaging Centre Symposium, taking place on 13–14 October 2026 at EMBL Heidelberg, Germany. This two-day event will bring together researchers to explore the latest advances across a broad range of technologies, from cryo-electron and super-resolution…
Recent developments in cellular structural biology approaches revolutionised the researchers’ ability to investigate biological processes. The direct imaging of unperturbed cellular environments of vitrified specimens now allows to analyse the function and structure of macromolecular complexes…
Following the full implementation of ‘Serial lift-out for cryo-electron tomography’, the next two services we plan to add to our portfolio are Oblique Plane Microscopy (OPM), and Brillouin Microscopy, both of which are aimed at enabling investigations in living cells and organisms. The…
As 2025 drew to a close, we at the EMBL Imaging Centre (IC) took time to reflect on a year defined by growth, scientific progress, and technological development. It has been a rewarding year for our team, from welcoming an increasingly international community of users to advancing our in-house…
Hello from the EMBL Imaging Centre! I am Virginia Pierini, the Service Manager, and I recently had the invaluable opportunity to spend a week immersed in the world of France-BioImaging at the Bordeaux Imaging Centre. This job-shadowing visit, made possible by the EVOLVE programme, was a crucial…
Have you visited the Imaging Centre at EMBL Heidelberg and were wondering what you would need to do to see your image displayed on the large LED wall that is part of the exhibition? The EMBL Imaging Centre and EMBL’s exhibition “The World of Molecular Biology” are looking for new images to be…
Do you want to become a member of our team? Now would be a chance! With the EMBL Imaging Centre now fully operational and continuing to grow in scope, we are seeking new team members to join our team. The Cryo-Electron Microscopy Team led by Simone Mattei and the Advanced Light Microscopy Team led…
We, the EMBL Imaging Centre team, are excited to announce that the Boehringer Ingelheim Stiftung (BIS), a long-standing and highly valued supporter, agreed to support us with €7 million. This significant contribution marks a major step forward in our efforts to advance cutting-edge imaging…
Over the past decade, single particle electron cryo-microscopy (cryo-EM) has become the method of choice for 3D structure determination of (large) biological macromolecules, offering several advantages over other techniques. This transformation from a niche technique into a widely used one has…
Cancer research is a crucial field, demanding the best tools and resources to unravel its complexities. That is why we are thrilled to share the story of Dr. Sarah Hofmann, the first researcher to access the EMBL Imaging Centre (EMBL IC) through the CanSERV project (GA-101058620) – and how this…