Imaging Principles of Life – Czech BioImaging Scientific Conference

The Czech BioImaging community came together for its lively annual conference under the topic of “Imaging Principles of Life” from Sept 30^th to October 2^nd. Participants took part in active discussions and explored outlooks for new developments in the Czech facilities.

In addition, the meeting featured presentations from researchers who have benefitted from the expertise, support, and technology access provided by Czech BioImaging core facilities. A compelling scientific programme and an important community event, as  Johanna Bischof, Head of Bio-Hub Operations, reports in this article.

The “Imaging Principles of Life” event brought together around 100 researchers and imaging scientists for two days of highly diverse presentations. The focus was placed on presentations from users of the Czech BioImaging infrastructure. The researchers benefiting from the open access opportunities at Czech BioImaging came from a range of Czech institutions, but many also hailed from abroad – including from Slovenia, Germany, Croatia, and the UK. Their presentations highlighted the internationally outstanding expertise and technology portfolio available at Czech BioImaging facilities. The applications ranged from plant imaging, to nanoparticles in the environment, to developmental biology, parasitology, and human health. 

Talks revealed how medical imaging can be used to study emotional regulation, and preclinical MRS and DKI imaging can be used to look at aging brain structures. A wide range of light microscopy studies from live cell imaging to single particle tracking super-resolution were also shared. Several researchers also highlighted the application of different volumeEM techniques and the importance of image data analysis services for their research projects.

ISIDORe user Pablo Cortes, whose research project at the Advanced Light and Electron Microscopy Node Prague was supported by funding through the ISIDORe project, presented his excellent work using volumeEM and CLEM to study malaria parasite development. He also highlighted the importance of this European project, its funding support, and the user access support provided by Euro-BioImaging and its Node in facilitating his research. Full article here.

Euro-BioImaging was represented at the meeting by Head of Bio-Hub Operations, Johanna Bischof, who updated the community on Euro-BioImaging and the opportunities available to researchers and facility staff through Euro-BioImaging and the EVOLVE project. 

“It’s always great to attend meetings of our national imaging communities and hear about the research they support and their technology developments. These meetings are  wonderful opportunities for discussions with all the staff at our Nodes. It’s important to hear how Euro-BioImaging can further support them” says Johanna.

The meeting closed with an outlook from Czech BioImaging Nodes on the ongoing developments in services and the new imaging systems implemented by the facilities in 2024.  In all areas from Light Microscopy, Electron Microscopy, clinical and pre-clinical imaging, and image analysis and data management, 2024 has seen new systems being introduced. And there are more to look forward to in 2025! These exciting developments are made possible by national infrastructure funding for technology updates to keep the Czech BioImaging infrastructure cutting edge. These new technologies and services will be available, alongside the already broad range of services, to all researchers through the Czech BioImaging participation in Euro-BioImaging with its three Nodes. Regular funding calls support user access to the Czech facilities, please visit the website for more information.

Czech BioImaging is a well-connected and truly engaged national infrastructure and it will celebrate its 10th anniversary next year. We look forward to the future developments and even more excellent science in the years to come!