New technologies


Innovation in imaging technologies in life sciences is continuous, fast and exciting. To remain at the technological forefront, Euro-BioImaging has established a workflow to ensure that new technologies are continuously integrated into our portfolio. The expert imaging facility staff at the Euro-BioImaging Nodes are developing many new imaging methods and are making the latest developments available in open access.

On the right, Nicolas D'Ascenzo of our NEUROMED DIMP Node, proudly shows off the portable PET machine he is developing to study plant growth in the field.

Portable PET, Nicolas d'Ascenzo

Suggest a new imaging technology

Whether you are a technology developer, provider, or Euro-BioImaging user, use this simple form to inform us of a new imaging technology. The technology may be either completely new, or new to Euro-BioImaging. 
After you have made a suggestion for a new technology, the workflow for its inclusion into the Euro-BioImaging portfolio is:

  • The technology is Showcased by a person or group to demonstrate the user need, its relevance to the scientific community and user access feasibility. (Not all suggestions lead to Showcasing.)
  • After successful showcasing, a Proof-of-Concept study is arranged to confirm that the new technology can be offered as an open access service via Euro-BioImaging.
  • After a successful Proof-of-Concept, the technology is accepted into the Euro-BioImaging portfolio and becomes available to everyone.

To Euro-BioImaging Nodes: If you wish to add more technologies from the Euro-BioImaging portfolio to your Node, use this simple form.

See below for more information and current technologies in Showcasing and Proof-of-Concept studies.

Showcasing new imaging technologies

Any technology developer/provider/imaging facility at a public research institution/university which is offering a new technology to external users can perform a Showcasing - it is not limited to Euro-BioImaging Nodes. In fact, Showcasing can also be a stepping-stone for becoming a Euro-BioImaging Node. Euro-BioImaging does not coordinate Showcasing, but facilities are invited to inform us of ongoing Showcasing. Afterwards, a simple report needs to be sent to us, if the new technology is to proceed towards becoming a Euro-BioImaging technology.

  • If you are about to start Showcasing, please tell us about it, so we can advertise your Showcasing.
  • If you are a user and interested in a technology being Showcased, tell us about it. This will help us in making it a Euro-BioImaging technology.
  • If you have completed Showcasing, please send us a simple report.
Currently ongoing/completed Showcases

(Please see below for a list of technologies that have already moved from Showcasing to Proof-of-Concept studies.)

Proof-of-Concept studies

A new technology with user need and a functional access model demonstrated by the Showcasing process is included in the next available round of Proof-of-Concept studies (PCS). At this point, access to the technology is possible via Technologies on our Web Portal, just like for any other technology. Technologies undergoing Proof-of-Concept studies are marked with a star (*) in the technology listing and the Proof-of-Concept study has a defined time frame, after which the user demand and user and provider experience is reviewed by our Scientific Advisory Board to evaluate the Proof-of-Concept study. If the Proof-of-Concept studies are successful, the technology is then included into the Euro-BioImaging portfolio permanently.

  • Visit our Proof-of-Concept page to learn more about the new technologies Euro-BioImaging offers.
  • If you are a Node wishing to offer a technology for a proof-of-concept study, please let us know by sending an email to info@eurobioimaging.eu

Technology highlights

EDX image at 4 nm pixelsize showing phosphor, osmium and sulfur distribution in EPON-embedded exocrine pancreas, in red, green and blue respectively. Image credit: Peter Duinkerken, Giepmans lab, UMC Groningen, NL.

January 17, 2024

EDX Imaging: Electron Microscopy beyond the grey-scale

Electron Microscopy holds the key to understanding the ultrastructure of biological systems, but finding what you are looking for in the high resolution EM…

Maximum intensity projection of Acantharia (plankton), plunge frozen and imaged with a high-end confocal microscope. Green: Acantharia; red: chlorophyll of symbionts (microalgae). Credits: Anna Steyer/EMBL

January 3, 2024

Cryo-ET: Imagination is the limit

Studying macromolecular complexes in their native environment in a cell is a real challenge, but new methods and technology advances are allowing scientists to…

The lightweight, transportable TeraHertz Imaging system offered by the University of Pisa can easily be deployed in the field.

November 20, 2023

TeraHertz Imaging: Portable plant imaging

Working on plant biology? Want to detect leaf water stress or assess the quality of dry fruits like chestnuts and hazelnuts? TeraHertz Imaging could…

Like a ball of yarn… Above is an example of how CXEM can be used to find the best itinerary within a sample to make transverse sections of the portion of interest. On the left, the micro-CT provided a 3D map of the sample within the resin block. On the right, a transverse ultrathin TEM section of the drosphilia gut. Image courtesy of Nuno Luis (Schnorrer lab, IBDM) & Nicolas Brouilly (Electron Microscopy Facility, IBDM AMU/CNRS, France BioImaging).

March 23, 2023

CXEM: Finding a needle in a haystack

Correlative X-ray imaging and electron microscopy (CXEM) is the combination of X-ray imaging and electron microscopy. It is a correlative approach that makes it…

Timo Zimmerman, team leader for light microscopy services at the EMBL Imaging Center. Photo courtesy of EMBL PhotoLab.

March 16, 2023

MINFLUX: A light microscopy technique that closes the gap on structural biology

MINFLUX is a super-resolution approach developed by Nobel prize laureate Stefan Hell in 2016. Two Euro-BioImaging Nodes are currently offering MINFLUX in open access…

Dr Selene Roberts at the MINFLUX machine at the OCTOPUS facility, part of Euro-BioImaging's UK Node.

March 14, 2023

MINFLUX: Super fast, super-resolution microscopy

Want to see objects that are 5 nanometers apart? Need to track objects moving in live cells with high temporal resolution? Then why not…

Laser Microdissection at the Polish Advanced Light Microscopy Node.

March 9, 2023

Laser Microdissection: Extract specific regions from your sample

Want to look at tumor vs. healthy tissue within a sample? Laser microdissection enables you to select a material based on its spatial or…

RIM comparison

March 7, 2023

A powerful high speed, low phototoxicity microscopy method to achieve super-resolved images

Are you interested in looking at tissues or other thick samples in high resolution? We spoke to Marc Tramier, a group leader at the…

Spatial trasncriptomics. Image courtesy of Bioscience Technology Facility, University of York.

March 1, 2023

Spatial Transcriptomics – For understanding tissue architecture

Spatial Transcriptomics is a useful approach for understanding tissue architecture and for understanding the molecular basis of health and disease. The Bioscience Technology Facility…