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11th NIC@IIT Advanced Microscopy practical workshop

30 November – 4 December 2026 · Genoa, Italy

Five days of keynote lectures, hands-on sessions on nine microscopy workstations and, new this year, a full day of thematic workshops on image analysis, spatial omics and expansion microscopy.

Register
Thursday workshops

A hands-on school on advanced optical microscopy at the Nikon Imaging Center @ IIT, Genoa. About 30 participants, no more than 5 per instrument, from keynote lectures to practical sessions and thematic workshops.
New this year: on Thursday 3 December the instrument rotation makes room for three thematic workshops – image analysis with NIS-Elements 7, fluidics-assisted sequential chromatin imaging for spatial omics, and expansion microscopy – each combining a short introduction with practical work. See the workshops

Directors

  • Paolo Bianchini
  • Alberto Diaspro

Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Genoa, Italy

Department of Physics, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy

Organizing committee

  • Paolo Bianchini
  • Alberto Diaspro
  • Manuela Salvatori

Scientific advisors

  • Colin Sheppard
  • Peter Saggau
  • Giuseppe Vicidomini
  • Francesca Cella Zanacchi
  • Ranieri Bizzarri
  • Claudio Canale
  • Irene Farabella

Supported by IIT, UNIGE, SIOF, SIBPA, Nikon

IMPACT, Fondo Italiano Per Le Scienze Applicate (FISA2024-00094)

INSPIRE, Potenziamento Euro-BioImaging ERIC Italia

The week at a glance

Mon 30 Nov

Open access · Palazzo della Borsa

Keynote lectures

14:00–19:00, then farewell.

Read more

Tue 1 Dec

Nanoscopy and NIC@IIT labs

Lectures in the morning, first hands-on rotation in the afternoon.

Read more

Wed 2 Dec

Nanoscopy and NIC@IIT labs

Full day of hands-on rotation on the workstations.

Read more

Thu 3 Dec

Nanoscopy and NIC@IIT labs

Thematic workshops

  • NIS-Elements 7 image analysis,
  • fluidics for spatial omics,
  • expansion microscopy.
Read more

Fri 4 Dec

Nanoscopy and NIC@IIT labs

In-depth and on-demand hands-on session, closing remarks and lunch.

Read more

Thursday 3 December – Thematic workshops

Full timetable in the Programme, Day four

This year, Thursday is different. Instead of rotating through all the instruments, participants join one of three in-depth workshops, each built around a topic and led by a specialist.

NIS-Elements 7

Abril Escamilla

Hands-on demonstration of the new NIS-Elements 7 analysis tools, from segmentation to quantification, led by a Nikon application specialist. Bring your own question: learn how to go from image to numbers.

Spatial omics

Irene Farabella and Chantal Usai

How a microfluidic system coupled to the N-STORM super-resolution microscope allows repeated labeling and imaging to map chromatin organization in the nucleus. Led by Irene Farabella, whose group works on nuclear omics.

Expansion Microscopy

Michele Oneto

From fixation to gel embedding and expansion: the full protocol, with practical tips on what makes a sample ready for super-resolution. Led by the NIC sample-preparation team.

Hands-on workstations

On Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, participants work in small groups (up to five people) and rotate across the workstations. When you register, tell us your preferred group or 2–3 preferred workstations. Thursday is dedicated to the thematic workshops.

Workstations

  • N1: Nikon confocal AX NSPARC resonant
    Paolo Bianchini, Mattia Pesce

  • N2: Nikon N-STORM
    Vittorio Parenti, Ayman Zahid

  • N3: Nikon A1MP spectral resonant and FLIM (by ISS)
    Marco Scotto D'Abbusco and Mattia Donato

  • N4: Nikon JI
    Giacomo Cozzi and Matteo Parri

  • N5: Genoa Instruments PRISM
    Marco Castello, Federica Quici, Chiara Giusti

  • N6: Correlative fluorescence-atomic force microscopy
    Andrea Lagomarsino, Claudio Canale

  • N7: ISM for molecular mobility and diffusion
    E. Slenders

  • N8: Sample Preparation and Expansion Microscopy
    Hawraa Zbeeb,  Michele Oneto, Ivan Novotny

  • N9: Optics, label-free and quantum Imaging, Lab tour, Q&A
    Alexandra Luca, Larbi Touijer

Topics

  • MINFLUX (minimal fluorescence photon fluxes microscopy)

  • AFM (Atomic Force Microscopy)

  • STORM (Stochastic Optical Reconstruction Microscopy)

  • SMLM (Single Molecule Localization Microscopy)

  • Confocal Laser Scanning Fluorescence Microscopy

  • ISM (Image Scanning Microscopy)

  • 2PEFM (Two-photon excitation fluorescence microscopy)

  • SHG (Second Harmonic Generation) microscopy

  • STED (STimulated Emission Depletion) microscopy

  • FLIM (Fuorescence Lifetime Imaging Microscopy)

  • FCS (Fluorescence correlation spectroscopy)

  • Expansion microscopy

  • Polarization microscopy

  • Label-Free microscopy

  • Correlative microscopy

Keynote Speakers and Lecturers

  • Francesca Pennacchietti

  • Lothar Schermelleh

  • Kyoohyun Kim

  • Ivan Novotni

  • Alvaro H. Crevenna

  • Irene Farabella

  • Abril Escamilla

  • Ranieri Bizzarri

  • Giuseppe Vicidomini

  • Claudio Canale

  • Francesca Cella Zanacchi

  • Alberto Diaspro

  • Paolo Bianchini

  • Marco Castello

  • Simonluca Piazza

  • Giacomo Cozzi

  • Matteo Parri

  • Chiara Giusti

  • Federica Quici

  • Eli Slenders

  • Andrea Bucci

  • Laurent Le

  • Lisa Cuneo

  • Chantal Usai

  • Larbi Touijer

  • Andrea Lagomarsino

  • Vittorio Parenti

  • Michele Oneto

  • Marco Scotto D'Abbusco
  • Mattia Pesce
  • Mattia Donato

Registration

For registration before performing the payment, contact us by email: Manuela Salvatori, Paolo Bianchini with the mandatory subject "YOURSURNAME-11TH NIC at IIT-PRE".

For the PAYMENT please follow this link. However, before proceeding with the payment, please contact us.

NOTE only for Italian registrations

Per gli appartenenti alla Pubblica Amministrazione

Prima di procedere con l’iscrizione all’evento e con il relativo pagamento, le persone appartenenti alla Pubblica Amministrazione italiana (Università, Aziende Ospedaliere, Enti pubblici di ricerca, IIT e altri enti pubblici) sono invitate a contattare la Segreteria Organizzativa.

Contatti: Tel. 010 0983860 – E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

For IIT/MOSBRI/UNIGE/SIOF/SIBPA members

  • PhD students and junior postdocs: 200 €
  • Postdocs: 300 €
  • Groups (more than one person from the same research group): 170 € each person (both PhD students and postdocs)

Companies: 600 €

Non-members

  • PhD students and junior postdocs: 270 €
  • Postdocs: 370 €

Before proceeding with the payment, please contact us.

The fee includes technical and scientific material, the farewell buffet and lunches.

Partners

We would like to thank our partners for their continued support.

Eurobioimaging

To inquire about becoming a partner please contact us.

Contact us

Day one, November 30

Keynote Lectures

  • Monday 30th November 14.00 to 19.00
  • Location: Sala delle Grida,
    Palazzo della Borsa, Via XX Settembre 44, 16121 Genova

Program

TimeSpeaker/sTitle
13:45 - 14:00

Registration

14:00 - 14:05
Welcome and Opening remarks
14:05 - 14:45

Lothar Schermelleh
Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom

The power of super-resolution SIM to uncover principles of chromatin organisation
14:45 - 15:25

Kyoohyun Kim
Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light & Max-Planck-Zentrum für Physik und Medizin, Erlangen, Germany

Quantitative Label-Free Imaging of Cellular and Tissue Biophysics
15:25 - 16:05

Ivan Novotny
Light microscopy core facility, Institute of molecular genetics of the Czeck Academy of Science, Prague, Czech Republic

Sample Preparation for Light Microscopy: Principles and Practical Tips
16.05 - 16:30

coffee break

16:30 - 17:10

Ranieri Bizzarri
Department of Surgical, Medical and Molecular Pathology, and Critical Care Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy

A short super-resolution microscopy course for the adventurous naturalist
17.10 - 17.50

Alvaro H. Crevenna
Epigenetics and Neurobiology Unit, EMBL Rome, Monterotondo, Italy

Advanced single-molecule super-resolution and its applications
17.50 - 18:30

Francesca Pennacchietti
Department of Applied Physics and Science for Life Laboratory, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden.

Photoswitchable fluorescent proteins for live cell nanoscopy
18.30 - 19:00

Paolo Bianchini, and Alberto Diaspro
Nanoscopy and NIC@IIT, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Genoa Italy
Department of Physics, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy

Roud Table and closing remarks
19.00 - 20:30

Farewell with drinks and nibbles

ONLY for registered students and speakers

Day two, December 1

  • Tuesday 1st December to Friday 4th December
  • Closed session for registered students.
  • Location: Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, via E. Melen 83B (Great Campus Erzelli), Genova

Program

Time10th Floor, Pitagora/Fibonacci meeting room and virtual
09:50-10:30

Irene Farabella, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Italy
Investigating 3D genome  organisation at the nanoscale with Seq-OligoSTORM

10.30 - 11.10

Giuseppe Vicidomini, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Italy
Super-resolution laser scanning microscopy with detector array

11:10 - 11.50

Peter Saggau, Baylor College of Medicine, USA
Acousto-optic devices in Microscopy

11.50 - 12.30

Claudio Canale, University of Genoa, Italy
Exploring Intermolecular Processes with Correlative AFM-STED Microscopy

12.30 - 14.10

Group picture and Lunch

Hands-on

Microscopy Labs, 9th floor

The students will be divided into groups (G#). All the groups will attend each workstation (N#) for at least an hour. After a complete turn, each group will focus on a subset of methods.
  • G#
    Group number
  • N#
    Workstation number
Group 1 Group 2 Group 3 Group 4 Group 5
 14:10 - 16:10 N2 N3 N4 N5 N6
16:10 - 16:40 coffee break
 16:40 - 18:40 N3 N4 N5 N6 N7

Day three, December 2

Hands on

Group 1 Group 2 Group 3 Group 4 Group 5
 9:30 - 11:00 N4 N5 N6 N7 N8
11:00 - 11:20 coffee break
11:20 - 12:50 N5 N6 N7 N8 N9
12:50 - 14:10 LUNCH (1st floor packet lunch reserved area)
 14:10 - 16:10 N6 N7 N8 N9 N1
 16:10 - 16:40 coffee break
 16:40 - 18:40 N7 N8 N9 N1 N2

Day four, December 3

Thematic workshops

Image Analysis with NIS-Elements 7 - W1 Fluidics for Spatial Omics - W2 Expansion Microscopy - W3
9:30 - 12:20 Workshop 1.1
Coffee break included		 Workshop 2.1
Coffee break included		 Workshop 3.1
Coffee break included
12:20 - 13:30 LUNCH (1st floor packet lunch reserved area)
13:30 - 15:50 Workshop 1.2 Workshop 2.2 Workshop 3.2
15:50 - 16:20 Coffee break
16:20 - 18:40 Workshop 1.3 Workshop 2.3 Workshop 3.3

Day five, December 4

Hands on

Group 1 Group 2 Group 3 Group 4 Group 5
 9:30 - 11:00 N3 N4 N9 N6 N2
11:00 - 11:20 coffee break
11:20 - 12:50 N4 N5 N1 N7 N9
  CLOSING REMARKS and lunch