WEBINAR

• Tuesday, June 10, 2025
• 9:00 (Mexico) / 12:00 (Uruguay) / 18:00 (CEST)

The second call for LABI Fellowships is now open.

We’re thrilled to announce that 2nd Call for the 2025 Training and Career Development Programs is open. This programs are designed to enable access to training and promote the collaboration between imaging facilities.

Our mission is to break barriers and open doors for scientific discoveries across Latin America by providing financial support for training and facility visits.

Learn more about LABI’s Training and Career Development Programs.

Key Dates:
Application deadline: July 7th, 2025

How to Apply:

1. View Instructions Document
2. Complete the Application Form: Ensure you provide all required information and documents.
3. Submit Your Application and wait for our confirmation email.

Apply now

First Series: Microscopy in Practice | Behind-the-Scenes Experiences in Bioimaging

From LABI’s Training & Education Working Group, we are launching this new virtual space to share experiences, lessons learned, and everyday challenges in bioimaging: Microscopy Experience Exchange (MEE).

This series of virtual seminars aims to share practical insights, key lessons, and common challenges we face in our daily work with microscopy. We invite you to join this space to strengthen collaboration, showcase technical knowledge from the region, and build collective capacities.

Event Details

• Format: Virtual (with registration)
• Time: 12:00 PM (GMT-3)
• Duration: 60 minutes
• Structure: Introduction + short presentations (10 min each) + 20 min for discussion

Register here

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Description: To obtain quality images, a well-prepared sample is essential. In this first meeting, we invite you to listen and discuss some practical aspects that impact image quality, such as fixation technique and light scattering.

Key question: How does the preparation method impact the final quality of the fluorescence image?

• Thursday, June 5 – 12:00 (GMT-3)
• Speakers: Aníbal Vargas (Chile), Iván Rey (Colombia)
• Moderator: Victoria Repetto

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Description: In this second meeting, we invite you to share practical experiences on sample preparation for electron microscopy, comparing strategies based on available equipment and brands.

Key questions: How does the type of equipment available influence the sample preparation strategy? What variables should be considered when choosing the equipment and preparation method?

• Thursday, July 3 – 12:00 (GMT-3)
• Speakers: Andreia Lo Costa (Brazil), Liseth Garibaldi Sosa (Chile)
• Moderator: Iván Rey

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Description: In this third session, we will explore the challenges of experimental design in Latin American contexts, taking into account technical and resource constraints. We will share examples where local interactions have led to the development of creative solutions for designing and executing microscopy experiments and look behind the scenes at how these interactions emerged.

Key Question: How to design a robust microscopy experiment considering local constraints?

• Thursday, August 7 – 12:00 (GMT-3)
• Speakers: Samuel Rocha (Brazil), Marcela Díaz (Uruguay)
• Moderator: Victoria Repetto

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Description: In this fourth meeting, we will delve into the advantages of regional exchanges and discuss how to maximize short laboratory stays by structuring an effective work agenda.

Key Question: What elements should a work plan include to maximize learning during a short visit? How can an efficient training agenda be structured for technical stays?

• Thursday, September 4 – 12:00 (GMT-3)
• Speakers: Vanessa De Cássia (Brazil), Victoria Repetto (Argentina)
• Moderator: Iván Rey

Would you like to propose a topic or participate as a speaker in upcoming series? Write to us!

This space is collaborative and is built with the entire LABI community.

Challenges of microscopy technology dissemination to resource-constrained communities

A new achievement for the imaging community

A year ago, we participate along with actors from different continents involved in the development, dissemination, and funding of bioimaging technologies gathered at Janelia Research Campus for the conference “Imaging Technology Dissemination to Underserved Communities.” The productive discussions held there have now been distilled into a newly published article:
“Challenges of microscopy technology dissemination to resource-constrained communities.”

This new Nature Methods article emphasizes the importance of setting technology adoption with the capability to produce scientific outcomes as the ultimate goal of dissemination efforts, especially in regions with limited resources. It explores current global efforts in microscopy dissemination and outlines key challenges and potential strategies moving forward.

Once again, LABI is recognized for its key role in the development of training opportunities and access to cutting-edge technologies and for its efforts in building capacity, fostering community, and promoting global integration with the international bioimaging community.

We are proud to be part of a global movement that is actively working to make science more equitable and collaborative.

Read the full article here (PDF)

During the week of April 7–11, the Fundamentals in Optical Microscopy course was held at the Institut Pasteur de Montevideo. We took this opportunity to speak with Dr. Claire Brown, Director of the Advanced BioImaging Facility (ABIF) at McGill University in Montreal, and one of the key figures behind the Train-the-Trainer model in microscopy. Claire shared her vision on how building an international network of expert microscopy trainers, rather than working in isolation, and sharing training materials can accelerate the spread of knowledge, empower new trainers, and strengthen sustainable microscopy education around the world.

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When Claire Brown, Director of the Advanced BioImaging Facility at McGill University, began developing microscopy courses 15 years ago, she had to build everything from scratch. “It was a lot of work, and I’ve never liked to see people reinvent the wheel,” she recalls. Her solution? Share the wheel, and teach others how to drive.

That philosophy became the foundation for the Train-the-Trainer (TtT) model in light microscopy, a program that not only offers technical instruction but also fosters a collaborative international community of educators. Claire’s vision has been instrumental in shaping sustainable training ecosystems around the world, including in Latin America.

“The idea of training trainers and sharing training resources, so people could build on it and make it better for their own communities, was really appealing to me,” Claire explains.

So far, the TtT course has been held in Buenos Aires and Montreal, training 37 microscopy educators from various countries. The next edition is set to take place in Melbourne, Australia, expanding this vibrant network even further.

But beyond teaching microscopy fundamentals, the TtT model is about building human connections. During the course, Claire dedicates time for participants to introduce themselves, share their background and even talk about their hobbies. “That really breaks the ice and helps build lasting connections,” she says.

One of the most inspiring success stories of this approach is that of Marcela Díaz, a biologist-turned-imaging scientist from Uruguay. Trained by Claire, Marcela has gone on to lead two editions of the Curso de Fundamentos en Microscopía Óptica through the Advanced Bioimaging Unit (UBA) in Montevideo.

“This year, Marcela organized the entire course herself, along with her team. I came just to support, and it’s wonderful to see that they don’t need me anymore,” Claire says proudly. “That’s success: when the knowledge lives on and grows without you.”

Marcela recently shared her journey in Nature Careers, highlighting how mentorship helped her transition from trainee to trainer and build new training pathways in Latin America. Read the full article here.

At LABI, we believe that initiatives like Claire’s are crucial for strengthening the region’s scientific capacity and training the next generation of researchers so that they have the tools and expertise they need for scientific discovery and innovation. Her work not only improves access to quality training but also creates a culture of sharing, mentorship, and collective growth.

“By doing it as a community and sharing the resources,” Claire emphasizes, “we’re able to reach more people, much faster.”

And that’s exactly the kind of momentum we need to keep building a thriving bioimaging ecosystem, from Montreal to Montevideo, and beyond.

LABI at DISC Unconference 2025

The DISC Unconference is designed to develop tools and facilitate activities that promote a more diverse and inclusive open-source scientific computing community. Through a participatory format, attendees collaborate in creating resources and strategies that can be shared with the global community.

In the 2025 edition, held at IBM (São Paulo, Brazil), 35 participants made up of new contributors, project maintainers, open source enthusiasts, and champions of community inclusion efforts interested in impacting their community through an unconference style event. During the event, ideas and scalable solutions were generated to foster the growth of more diverse and welcoming communities.

Representing LABI, Andrés Olivera, Network Manager, participated and collaborated on the project “Navigating funding landscape for research in Low-to-middle-income countries,” led by Open Life Science. A lack of clear pathways to understand available funding opportunities, effective approaches to accessing funding, and established networks where experienced members share skills and resources, diminish the chances of securing appropriate funding for most research initiatives. Over three days of intense work, significant progress was made in implementing collaborative projects that impact access to training and research resources. 

The event provided an ideal environment for exchanging knowledge and experiences, facilitated by a group of dedicated and supportive professionals committed to developing a more open scientific community.

At LABI, we will continue working on this initiative, reaffirming our commitment to building a more open and accessible scientific ecosystem for all.