Since 2002, we have organized Practical Courses biennially as part of the FEBS Advanced Courses programme, with the primary aim of equipping PhD students and postdoctoral researchers with cutting-edge fluorescence imaging techniques to address complex biological questions. The most recent edition was the FEBS Practical Course “Fluorescence Microspectroscopy: Functional Imaging of Biological Systems”  was held 18–24 May 2025, in Wageningen, the Netherlands; it received overwhelmingly positive evaluations from participants.

This course uniquely integrated theoretical lectures with hands-on practical sessions, enabling participants to immediately apply newly acquired knowledge in experimental settings. There is a growing demand for training in sensitive, high-resolution imaging techniques that allow real-time visualization of biochemical processes in living cells. Microspectroscopic methods are particularly well-suited for this purpose, offering direct insights into molecular interactions and dynamic events with minimal disruption to cellular integrity.

By leveraging multimodal microscopy systems and advanced contrast mechanisms, participants learned to monitor and quantify biomolecular interactions and states in a multidimensional context. This approach bridges the gap between genomic data and functional understanding at the cellular and organismal levels.

Scientific and training content

The course covered a comprehensive range of advanced imaging techniques, including:

• (Multiphoton) Confocal Microscopy
• Förster Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET) Microscopy
• Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging Microscopy (FLIM)
• Ratio-Imaging Microscopy (RIM)
• Total Internal Reflection Fluorescence (TIRF) Microscopy
• Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy (FCS)
• Single-Molecule Fluorescence Detection
• Super-Resolution and Correlative Microscopy
• Fluorescent Biosensors and Optogenetic Tools

The 2025 edition was hosted primarily in Wageningen, with one full day in Nijmegen. As in previous editions, we collaborate with Dr. Koen van den Dries (Radboud UMC), Prof. Yvonne Stahl (Goethe University Frankfurt) and Prof. S. Weidtkamp-Peters (Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf), whose expertise in multidimensional fluorescence imaging significantly enhances the course content.

Lectures were provided by the organizing team to introduce theoretical foundations of each technique, followed by afternoon sessions dedicated to practical demonstrations. Guest speakers (Dr. Janine Post, Prof Dorus Gadella, Prof. Urike Endesfelder, Prof. Matias Zurbriggen, Dr. Mark Hink, Dr. Nalan Liv) were invited to discuss real-world applications of functional imaging in their research, providing participants with valuable context and inspiration.

All photos (including top image of participants group) provided by the course organizers.