When? July 6 to 9, 2025

Where? University of Perugia, Italy

Organized as a satellite meeting of the EBSA Congress ( https://www.ebsa2025.eu/ ), the school will provide a comprehensive, immersive, and interactive introduction to advanced microscopy and spectroscopy techniques, with a special focus on Brillouin Spectroscopy and its role in studying the mechanical properties of cells and tissues. Participants will have the opportunity to engage with leading experts, explore state-of-the-art methodologies, and discuss recent advancements in mechanobiology and optical spectroscopy.

Key Topics

• Fundamentals and recent developments in Brillouin Spectroscopy

• Comparative methods for the mechanical characterization of biological samples

• Applications in mechanobiology and biomedical research

• Hands-on training sessions and data analysis

Confirmed Speakers

• Dr. Kareem Elsayad (Medical University of Vienna, AT)

• Prof. Daniele Fioretto (University of Perugia, IT)

• Prof. Maurizio Mattarelli (University of Perugia, IT)

• Prof. Francesca Palombo (University of Exeter, UK)

• Prof. Giuliano Scarcelli (University of Maryland, USA)

• Prof. Giorgio Scita (University of Milan & IFOM, IT)

• Moreover, leading companies in the field (JRS-Optical Instruments, CellSense, Specto photonics) will showcase their latest instruments, offering on-site demonstrations of cutting-edge technologies.

Important Dates

• School Grant Application Deadline: April 15, 2025

• Early Bird Registration: April 30, 2025

• Regular Registration Deadline: June 15, 2025

Further details can be found at https://www.lab-ics.com/school.

For inquiries, please contact us at biobrillouin_school@lab-ics.com.

We kindly ask you to share this invitation with your research group and colleagues who may be interested.

We look forward to welcoming you to Perugia!

When? February 9 to 13, 2026

Where? EMBL, Heidelberg, Germany.

This course is aimed at researchers at all levels who are applying or planning to apply Brillouin microscopy to their research and wish to acquire more knowledge and hands-on training on the technology. It is primarily targeted towards mechanobiologists, biophysicists and biomedical engineers. We however also welcome physicists and engineers who seek to build their own BM setups, although we intend to only accommodate a small fraction (<25%) of this audience for the course. 

Course Topics

·         Intro lectures on principles, what has been done in the field

·         Technical lectures on current state-of-art, what’s possible, limitations

·         Application talks from different biological fields (cell, developmental, medicine)

·         Project design: How to choose the right technique for your project

·         Interpretation especially with eye towards mechanobiology

·         Data analysis approaches, best practices (sample preparation & analysis, reporting/data management)

Training Modules:

·         Hands-on experimental acquisition session, including demonstrations and tutorials (2-3 confocals, 1SBS, 1 line-scan?) – at least 2 afternoons (maybe one tech-heavy session for developers)

·         Analysis session 1 afternoon

Registration information to be announced shortly!