The inaugural Super-Resolution Summit gathered some of the most brilliant minds in the field of super-resolution imaging, showcasing the cutting-edge technology and breakthroughs that are revolutionizing our understanding of the microscopic world.
Amidst the vibrant atmosphere of knowledge exchange, networking, and thought-provoking discussions, a new initiative, the "Curious Minds" campaign, took center stage during the Summit. Designed to ignite curiosity and foster innovation, the campaign inspires researchers to push the boundaries of what's possible in scientific research and super-resolution imaging specifically. Through engaging sessions, interactive demos, and collaborative opportunities, the Super-Resolution Summit and the "Curious Minds" campaign together created an atmosphere of boundless exploration, propelling us into a future of limitless possibilities.
Few technologies require expertise across so many scientific areas from microscopy, optics, physics, programming, biology, and chemistry as super-resolution does. The summit in San Diego was a great sample of this and featured exciting innovations across all of these areas and showed just how versatile a technology like super-resolution can be. We were privileged to be joined by thought leaders in this space and consider ourselves lucky to have learned from their experiences.
Extracellular vesicles (EVs) continue to be a focus in the super-resolution field. EVs remain difficult to properly characterize due to their size and heterogeneity and super-resolution is emerging as a valuable tool to add to support for EV research studies. Dr. Tijana Jovanovic-Talisman and Dr. Aurelio Lorico study EVs in the context of therapeutics. We heard about how Troponin T levels in EVs provide correlations to heart failure (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35988159/) and about the critical the role of EV transport in cancer metastasis (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34429859/). In addition, Dr Andras Saftics shared pre-publication details on a fully characterized novel workflow for EV nanoscopy allowing for isolation from crude plasma to fully characterized and analyzed samples for tetraspanin and unique biomarker detection on both EV membranes and intra-EV cargo.
But the day wasn’t just about EVs. We also saw what makes this space so exciting and articulates how quickly it can evolve. Several speakers shared new and unique ways to harness technology to learn new information. We were blown away by the creativity of Dr. Brian Beliveau’s method development and featuring OLIGO-PAINT (https://www.nature.com/articles/ncomms8147), SABER-FISH (https://www.nature.com/articles/s41592-019-0404-0), and DECODE-PAINT (https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.08.01.502089v2), all of which tackle major hurdles of speed, accuracy, and automation which can be limiting factors for many nanoscopy experiments. He was not the only one sharing new tools, Dr. Hongje Jang shared his work on developing his A-Pod method (https://www.nature.com/articles/s41592-023-01779-1), which harnessed Stimulated Raman Scattering and deuterium oxide to study metabolism using label-free techniques. To round things up, we heard how chemists are helping innovate with Dr. Michelle Frei sharing her work in the development of HaloTag/Rhodamine compounds to create new photoactivatable dyes (https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-019-12480-3\) optimized for far-red and showed how it’s capable of fluorescence-lifetime imaging (https://www.nature.com/articles/s41592-021-01341-x) and they could even be multiplexed in a single channel!
Fittingly, we also had a speaker from ONI, Dr. Marcus Fantham, who shared the work we are doing with our cloud-based CODI software (https://oni.bio/nanoimager/software/codi-software/). This aligns well with our mission to facilitate access to data and enable sharing of tools, techniques, and knowledge for all researchers to leverage. The questions during and after talks and in the breaks and happy hours showed just how valuable this community can be to one another and it was amazing seeing how exciting everyone was to share and learn from one another.
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The event also featured an exciting demos section, where attendees had the opportunity to witness live imaging in action. These showcased cutting-edge technologies, including ONI’s Nanoimager and CODI, providing a firsthand experience of super-resolution imaging. The live imaging demos sparked curiosity and awe, offering a glimpse into the immense potential of super-resolution. It was an engaging and enlightening experience, highlighting the groundbreaking capabilities of these technologies and their applications across various fields.
"The Super-Resolution Summit was unlike any other conference I’ve been to, in that it truly connected scientific communities around the shared curiosity of understanding biology at the nanoscale — chemists, physicists, and biologists all mixed together to discover and discuss pure science” said Corey Butler, ONI’s Applications Product Manager.
The Super-Resolution Summit went above and beyond to provide an enjoyable and memorable experience for its guests, highlighted by the lively happy hour and exciting interactions among attendees. The happy hour offered a variety of creatively named drinks such as "O-N-I think I'll have another," "EV phone home," and "dStorm of the century." These blends added a playful touch to the gathering, allowing attendees to unwind and socialize in a relaxed atmosphere. As an extra treat, guests were presented with thoughtfully curated goodie bags, featuring an ONI branded bag, containing a postcard showcasing the intriguing Curious Minds campaign, socks adorned with extracellular vesicles, and delectable chocolates sourced from a local chocolatier. These touches added an extra layer of enjoyment to the Super-Resolution Summit, ensuring that attendees left not only with knowledge but also with lasting memories of a truly exceptional event.
Altogether, the Super-Resolution Summit left a profound impact on all who attended. We are extremely thankful to everyone that took part and contributed to its success, including attendees, speakers, and organizers.
The journey doesn't end here! We invite you to join us at the upcoming summits in London on July 13, Cambridge MA on September 28, and Frankfurt on November 9, 2023. These events are your chance to immerse yourself in the forefront of super-resolution imaging, connect with peers and industry leaders in your area, and be part of groundbreaking technology. Don't miss out on this unparalleled opportunity to expand your knowledge and push the boundaries of what is possible in microscopy! Click here to learn more and secure your spot. We look forward to welcoming you as we continue this journey together!
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Embark on a journey of curiosity and exploration with ONI! Discover more about our innovations and pioneering advancements by visiting oni.bio/curiousminds