During the past years, microscopy techniques as well as image analysis capabilities have developed at incredible pace. Today, microscopy based research is becoming increasingly important in all fields of life sciences and is reflected by three microscopy related Noble Prizes in the past 10 years: Green Fluorescent Protein in 2008, Super-Resolution Microscopy in 2014, and Cryo-Electron Microscopy in 2017.

In order to provide highest level microscopy instrumentation and related expertise to scientists, various microscopy facilities have formed in Switzerland throughout the past two decades. These facilities cover the entire spectrum of light microscopy from techniques like lightsheet and super-resolution microscopy to all types of electron microscopy including cryo-EM, FIB-EM and many more. Besides of their services to the scientific community these core facilities are also involved in technological improvement and development, thereby providing cutting-edge new techniques like e.g. MESO-SPIM or 2PH-tomography to the community.

Why an LS² microscopy intersection?
Several LS² members showed great interest in the creation of an LS² Microscopy intersection.
Creating a microscopy intersection will allow for a better and intensified knowledge transfer between the microscopy community and life scientists in Switzerland and will thus promote the faster introduction of new and cutting-edge microscopy techniques in Switzerland. Also, high-end microscopy techniques should become even better known as well as the core facilities providing them. As there is already a microscopy core facility section in the Swiss Society of Optics and Microscopy (SSOM), the combination of the respective peer group with members of the LS² will be beneficial for both, members of the SSOM section as well as the LS² intersection Microscopy.

All Swiss Microscopy Core Facilities meet at least once a year for a one day meeting to present new systems and solutions for microscopy and/or image analysis and for general networking and knowledge exchange. We expect this to become even more inspiring with life scientists participating. This will be an important event of the newly built intersection and we hope to attract many new interested members.

Having a Swiss LS² Microscopy intersection will clearly increase the knowledge of newest and most suitable microscopy techniques in the life sciences and will connect researchers from all fields ranging from physicists via microscopy facility experts to life scientists.

Oliver Biehlmaier - President
University of Basel, Biozentrum

Arne Seitz - Vice-president
EPFL

Urs Ziegler
University of Zurich

Suliana Manley
EPFL

Christoph Bauer
University of Geneva

Mark Ambühl
R&D Nestlé

Christel Genoud
University of Lausanne

Yinan Wan
University of Basel

Davide Gambarotto
Viventis Microscopy

Swiss Microscopy Core Facility Meeting 2019
28 August 2019, EPFL Lausanne, BiOpt / Arne Seitz

LS² Annual Meeting 2020
13-14 February 2020, Irchel Campus, University of Zurich
The newly built Intersection Microscopy proposed a microscopy symposium on “Automated and smart microscopy” for the LS² Annual Meeting 2020 covering the most recent developments in smart microscopy.

LS² Annual Meeting 2021 - online
The Microscopy Intersection organised a symposium on “Multiparametric Microscopy in Basic and Translational Research” for the LS² Annual Meeting 2021.

Microscopy Webinars series 2021
https://meetings.ls2.ch/microscopy-webinars-series