27 May - 3 June 2026
Structural characterisation of macromolecular complexes
Matthew Bowler, Ana Casañal, Sagar Bhogaraju, Carlo Petosa, Montserrat Soler López
Description OverviewSpeakers and trainersPreliminary programmePractical informationSponsorsMedia kit Overview Funded by EMBO for excellence in the life sciences This course will take place at EMBL Grenoble Course overview Recent advances in cryo electron microscopy tomography cryo EM ET super resolution microscopy and deep learning based protein structure prediction combined with increasingly sophisticated sample preparation methods have transformed structural biology Solving the field s most complex challenges will require researchers who can strategically integrate these powerful tools This course provides a comprehensive overview of modern structural biology methods with emphasis on sample preparation characterisation and data integration Key topics include Multi subunit protein expression in bacterial insect and mammalian systems Isolation of native complexes In vitro reconstitution of protein and protein nucleic acid assemblies Biochemical and biophysical approaches to assess stoichiometry and homogeneity This latest edition of this long standing course features a refreshed lineup of speakers and topics highlighting the strategic use of cutting edge protein structure prediction methods and recent advances in in situ structural biology The programme aims to equip participants with the theoretical and practical skills needed to combine complementary approaches and apply them to contemporary structural biology research Audience Advanced PhD students and postdocs currently working on challenging projects in structural biology that would benefit form hybrid approaches Learning outcomes Participants will learn 3D structure determination of macromolecular assemblies at various resolution scales and strategies to integrate data from X ray crystallography cryo EM SAXS NMR mass spectrometry smFRET and super resolution microscopy What past participants say about the course The course on Structural Characterisation of Macromolecular Complexes was very engaging with lecturers eager to learn about our projects and providing valuable insights I also especially appreciated the opportunity to meet fellow students from all over the world Sophie Roth Harvard University USA It was a wonderfully intense experience I learned more than I thought was possible in a single week Marta Gapinska University of Warsaw Poland This event has been granted the following EMBO sustainability badge Grade 1 of 3 Speakers and trainers Speakers and trainers Ana Berna ALBA Spain Sagar Bhogaraju EMBL Grenoble France Matthew Bowler EMBL Grenoble France Ana Casanal Human Technopole Italy Francesca Coscia Human Technopole Italy Kristina Djinovic Carugo EMBL Grenoble France Olivier Duss EMBL Heidelberg Germany Trevor Forsyth LINXS Sweden Melissa Graewert EMBL Hamburg Germany Noriyuki Kodera Kanazawa University Japan Jan Kosinski EMBL Hamburg Germany Eva Kowalinski EMBL Grenoble France Cameron Mackereth University of Bordeaux France Thomas Mulvaney CSSB Hamburg Germany Arwen Pearson University of Hamburg Germany Martin Pelosse EMBL Grenoble France Carlo Petosa Institut de Biologie Structurale France Gaia Pigino Human Technopole Italy Randy Read University of Cambridge UK Jonas Ries University of Vienna Austria Margot Riggi Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry Germany Christophe Romier Institut de g n tique et de biologie mol culaire et cellulaire France John Rubinstein University of Toronto Canada Andrea Sinz Martin Luther University Halle Wittenberg Germany Montserrat Soler Lopez European Synchrotron Radiation Facility ESRF France J rg Standfuss Paul Scherrer Institut Switzerland Song Tan The Pennsylvania State University USA Oscar Vadas University of Geneva Switzerland Florian Wollweber EMBL Grenoble France Chloe Zubieta CEA France Trainers NameAffiliationShibom BasuEMBL GrenobleElisabetta Boeri ErbaInstitute de Biologie Structurale IBS Bernhard BrutscherInstitute de Biologie Structurale IBS Marta CozzaglioEMBL GrenobleDaniele De SanctisEuropean Synchrotron Radiation Facility ESRF Oliver Debski AntoniakALPXAdrien FavierInstitute de Biologie Structurale IBS Hayden FisherEuropean Synchrotron Radiation Facility ESRF Beno t GalletInstitute de Biologie Structurale IBS Luciano Graciani DolceINSERMHok Sau KwongEuropean Synchrotron Radiation Facility ESRF Sonal LagadEMBL GrenobleAline Le RoyInstitute de Biologie Structurale IBS Romain LinaresEMBL GrenoblePhilippe MasInstitute de Biologie Structurale IBS Petra PernotEuropean Synchrotron Radiation Facility ESRF Jake SmithEMBL GrenobleMark TullyEuropean Synchrotron Radiation Facility ESRF Chlo e TymenInstitute de Biologie Structurale IBS Felix WeisInstitute de Biologie Structurale IBS Scientific organisers Matthew Bowler EMBL Grenoble France Sagar Bhogaraju EMBL Grenoble France Ana Casanal Human Technopole Italy Carlo Petosa Institut de Biologie Structurale France Montserrat Soler Lopez European Synchrotron Radiation Facility ESRF France Course organisers Nathalie Sneider EMBL Heidelberg Germany Diane Weirich EMBL Grenoble France Preliminary programme Are you on social media Post using EMBOMacromolecular and don t forget to tag EMBLEvents Some pre course work such as watching pre recordings and protocol reading with estimated time 0 10 hours will be required and will be shared in advance of the course Some speakers may need to join virtually to give their lecture or Q A and the programme is subject to change For registered participants recorded talks will be accessible on demand for 4 weeks after the end of the event unless indicated otherwise Day 0 Onboarding Date to be confirmed but around 1 week before the start of the course During this virtual onboarding session the participants will participate in a short icebreaker activity receive access to EMBL eCampus and course material Day 1 Wednesday 27 May 2026 Time Europe Grenoble SessionLocation12 00 12 30Arrival and registrationIIL EMBL Hall12 30 13 30Lunch and speed networkingIIL EMBL Hall13 30 14 00Welcome house notes and course overview with safety briefingIBS Seminar Room14 00 15 30Flash talksIBS Seminar Room15 30 16 00Coffee BreakIIL EMBL Hall16 00 17 30Flash talksIBS Seminar Room17 30 18 00Coffee BreakIIL EMBL Hall18 00 19 00Lecture 1 Structural studies of nucleosome binding complexesSong Tan The Pennsylvania State University USA IBS Seminar Room19 00 20 00DinnerLa Chapelle Restaurant Day 2 Thursday 28 May 2026 Time Europe Grenoble SessionLocation08 45 09 00Overview of the dayMatthew Bowler EMBL Grenoble FranceIBS Seminar Room09 00 09 45Lecture 2 Introduction to protein expression in E coliChristophe Romier Institut de g n tique et de biologie mol culaire et cellulaire France IBS Seminar Room09 45 10 30Lecture 3 Eukaryotic expression systemsMartin Pelosse EMBL Grenoble France IBS Seminar Room10 30 11 00Coffee break and Meet the speakersIIL EMBL Hall11 00 11 45Lecture 4 Mass spectrometry in structural biologyAndrea Sinz Martin Luther University Halle Wittenberg GermanyIBS Seminar Room11 45 12 30Lecture 5 Structural studies of cilliaGaia Pigino Human Technopole Milan ItalyIBS Seminar Room12 30 14 00Lunch breakIIL EMBL Hall14 00 14 15Overview of the practicalsIBS Seminar Room14 15 16 15Parallel practical session 1Participants divided into 4 groups of 5attend one of the practical sessions Practical A EM intro Electron Microscopy Practical B cryoET FIB SEM Electron Microscopy Practical C cryoEM and cryoET collection Electron Microscopy Practical D cryoEM and cryoET analysis Electron Microscopy Meeting point IIL EMBL Hall16 15 16 45Coffee breakIIL EMBL Hall16 45 18 45Parallel practical session 2Participants divided into 4 groups of 5attend one of the practical sessionsPractical A EM intro Electron Microscopy Practical B cryoET FIB SEM Electron Microscopy Practical C cryoEM and cryoET collection Electron Microscopy Practical D cryoEM and cryoET analysis Electron Microscopy Meeting point IIL EMBL Hall18 45 20 45Group dinner at Restaurant EpicurienRestaurant Epicurien Day 3 Friday 29 May 2026 Time Europe Grenoble SessionLocation08 45 09 00Overview of the dayCarlo Petosa Institut de Biologie Structurale FranceIBS Seminar Room09 00 09 45Lecture 6 Introduction to super resolution microscopyJonas Ries Max Perutz Laboratory Vienna IBS Seminar Room09 45 10 30Lecture 7 Single molecule interactions and dynamics in transcription translationOlivier Duss EMBL Heidelberg GermanyIBS Seminar Room10 30 11 00Coffee break and Meet the speakersIIL EMBL Hall11 00 11 45Introduction to small angle x ray scatteringMelissa Graewert EMBL Hamburg GermanyIBS Seminar Room11 45 13 15Poster Session 1IIL EMBL Hall13 15 14 15Lunch with networking career guidance IIL EMBL Hall14 15 14 30Overview of the practicalsIBS Seminar Room14 30 16 30Parallel practical session 3Practical H Mass Spectrometry MS Practical E NMR Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Meeting point IIL EMBL Hall16 30 17 00Coffee breakIIL EMBL Hall17 00 19 00Parallel practical session 4Practical H Mass Spectrometry MS Practical E NMR Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Meeting point IIL EMBL Hall19 00 20 00DinnerBarbecue Day 4 Saturday 30 May 2026 Time Europe Grenoble SessionLocation08 45 09 00Overview of the dayMontserrat Soler Lopez European Synchrotron Radiation Facility FranceEMBL Seminar Room09 00 09 45Lecture 9 Introduction to modern macromolecular crystallographyMatthew Bowler EMBL Grenoble France EMBL Seminar Room09 45 10 30Lecture 10 Serial X ray crystallographyJ rg Standfuss Paul Scherrer Institut USAEMBL Seminar Room10 30 11 00Coffee break and Meet the speakersIIL EMBL Hall11 00 11 45Lecture 11 Time resolved studiesArwen Pearson CFEL HamburgEMBL Seminar Room11 45 12 30Lecture 12 Neutrons in structural biologyTrevor Forsyth LINXS Lund SwedenEMBL Seminar Room12 30 13 15LunchIIL EMBL Hall13 15 13 30Overview of the practicals13 30 15 30Parallel practical session 5Practical J AlphafoldMeeting point IIL EMBL Hall15 30 16 00Coffee breakIIL EMBL Hall16 00 18 00Parallel practical session 5Practical J AlphafoldMeeting point IIL EMBL Hall18 00 19 00DinnerBouillon A Day 5 Sunday 31 May 2026 Time Europe Grenoble SessionLocation08 45 09 00Overview of the dayAna Casanal HT Milan ItalyEMBL Seminar Room09 00 09 45Lecture 13 Introduction to cryo EMFrencesca Coscia Human Technopole Milan Italy EMBL Seminar Room09 45 10 30Lecture 14 Cryo electron tomographyFlorian Wollweber EMBL Grenoble FranceEMBL Seminar Room10 30 11 00Coffee break and Meet the speakersIIL EMBL Hall11 00 11 45Lecture 15 Nuclear Pore ComplexJan Kosinski EMBL Hamburg GermanyEMBL Seminar Room11 45 12 45LunchIIL EMBL Hall12 45 14 15Poster session 2IIL EMBL Hall14 15 19 00Excursion Group visit to Museum of the Grande Chartreuse and hike19 00 21 00Free evening Day 6 Monday 1 June 2026 Time Europe Grenoble SessionLocation08 45 09 00Overview of the daySagar Bhogaraju EMBL Grenoble FranceIBS Seminar Room09 00 09 45Lecture 16 Atomic Force MicroscopyNoriyuki Kodera University of Japan Japan IBS Seminar Room09 45 10 30Lecture 17 Phase separationChloe Zubieta CEA FranceIBS Seminar Room10 30 11 00Coffee break and Meet the speakersIIL EMBL Hall11 00 11 45Lecture 18 Structural characterisation of protein RNA complexesEva Kowalinski EMBL Grenoble FranceIBS Seminar Room11 45 12 30Lecture 19 HDX mass spec of protein complexesOscar Vadas University of Geneva SwitzerlandIBS Seminar Room12 30 13 30LunchIIL EMBL Hall13 30 13 45Overview of the practicalsIBS Seminar Room13 45 15 45Parallel practical session 6Practical A EM intro Electron Microscopy Practical B cryoET FIB SEM Electron Microscopy Practical C cryoEM and cryoET collection Electron Microscopy Practical D cryoEM and cryoET analysis Electron Microscopy Meeting point IIL EMBL Hall15 45 16 15Coffee breakIIL EMBL Hall16 15 18 15Parallel practical session 7Practical A EM intro Electron Microscopy Practical B cryoET FIB SEM Electron Microscopy Practical C cryoEM and cryoET collection Electron Microscopy Practical D cryoEM and cryoET analysis Electron Microscopy Meeting point IIL EMBL Hall18 15DinnerEPN Canteen Day 7 Tuesday 2 June 2026 Time Europe Grenoble SessionLocation08 45 09 00Overview of the dayMatthew Bowler EMBL Grenoble FranceIBS Seminar Room09 00 09 45Lecture 20 MD and cryoEMThomas Mulvaney CSSB Hamburg Germany IBS Seminar Room09 45 10 30Lecture 21 Opportunities and challenges of AI methods in structural biologyRandy Read University of Cambridge UKIBS Seminar Room10 30 11 00Coffee break and Meet the speakersIIL EMBL Hall11 00 11 45Lecture 22 Biophysical characterisation of protein complexesKristina Djinovic Carugo EMBL Grenoble FranceIBS Seminar Room11 45 12 30Panel discussion on responsible conduct of researchIBS Seminar Room12 30 13 15LunchIIL EMBL Hall13 15 13 30Overview of the practicalsIBS Seminar Room13 30 15 30Parallel practical session 8Practical F SAXS Small Angle X ray Scattering Practical G Serial prep and Serial MX Serial crystallography Practical I Biophysics BP Meeting point IIL EMBL Hall15 30 16 00Coffee breakIIL EMBL Hall16 00 18 00Parallel practical session 9Practical F SAXS Small Angle X ray Scattering Practical G Serial prep and Serial MX Serial crystallography Practical I Biophysics BP Meeting point IIL EMBL Hall18 00 18 30Coffee breakIIL EMBL Hall18 30 19 15Lecture 23 Structural data visualisationMargot Riggi Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry GermanyIBS Seminar Room19 15 21 00Course dinnerCh teau de la Commanderie Day 8 Wednesday 3 June 2026 Time Europe Berlin SessionLocation08 45 09 00Overview of the dayCarlo Petosa Institut de Biologie Structurale FranceIBS Seminar Room09 00 09 45Lecture 24 X ray imaging in structural biologyAna Berna ALBA Barcelona Spain IBS Seminar Room09 45 10 30Lecture 25 Introduction to NMR spectroscopyCameron Mackereth University of Bordeaux FranceIBS Seminar Room10 30 11 00Coffee break and Meet the speakersIIL EMBL Hall11 00 11 45Lecture 26 Time resolved cryoEM of ATP synthaseJohn Rubinstein Hospital for Sick Kids CanadaIBS Seminar Room11 45 12 30Course evaluationIBS Seminar Room12 30 13 30LunchIIL EMBL Hall13 30 13 45Overview of the practicalsIBS Seminar Room13 45 15 45Parallel practical session 10Practical F SAXS Small Angle X ray Scattering Practical G Serial prep and Serial MX Serial crystallography Practical I Biophysics BP Meeting point IIL EMBL Hall15 45 16 15Coffee breakIIL EMBL Hall16 15 18 15Parallel practical session 11Practical F SAXS Small Angle X ray Scattering Practical G Serial prep and Serial MX Serial crystallography Practical I Biophysics BP Meeting point IIL EMBL Hall18 15 19 15DinnerCanteen19 15End of course Practical information Registration fees The course is limited to 20 participants For selection purposes please note that your application will not be considered without a letter of motivation Registration fees Your registration for the event includes Admission to the event Meals and coffee breaks Course materials Access to the e learning platform A letter to support your visa application for more information check the Travel and accommodation tab For this EMBO course include accommodation all meals throughout the duration of the course admission and course materials Travel expenses are NOT covered with the registration fee Academia 500PhD Student 500Industry 1100 Confirmation and payment The registration fee should be paid only after acceptance to the course The results will be announced approximately 2 3 weeks after the application deadline Cancellation policy If you are no longer able to take part in the course please inform your course contact responsible for this event Your registration and the submitted motivation letter will be deleted Please also check our Terms and Conditions for the cancellation policy Submitting a motivation letter Motivation letter submission After you have logged in and successfully registered you will receive an email asking you to submit your motivation letter Click on the link provided and enter your motivation letter in the text box provided Alternatively you can submit your motivation letter by clicking on the link on the confirmation page directly after registering Instructions Include your relevant skills experience and qualifications showing why you would be suitable for the course Explain why you would like to attend including what you can contribute and how you think you will benefit from the course Please note The limit of 2 000 characters refers to manually typed text and excludes spaces If an error occurs try using a different web browser preferably Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox If you copy paste the text into the form hidden formatting might still be included which may cause the text to exceed the 2 000 character limit resulting in an error message We recommend you clear all formatting before pasting in the text If you have special symbols in your text make sure you are using Unicode characters otherwise these will not be recognised For detailed instructions please watch our video on how to submit a course motivation letter Further details For further information about registration and motivation letter submission please refer to the FAQ page Financial assistance Financial assistance Limited financial assistance is provided by the EMBL Advanced Training Centre Corporate Partnership Programme and EMBO in the form of travel grants and childcare grants Your place in the meeting is only confirmed by paying the registration fee which is mandatory even when receiving a fee waiver Travel grant The travel grant will cover the cost of travel airfare train bus taxi and visa and or registration fees and is provided up to specified caps which are normally as follows up to 500 for any participant travelling to an EMBO Practical Course up to 1000 for any participant working in Chile India Singapore or Taiwan travelling to an EMBO Practical Course The organisers may reduce the grant cap to accommodate more participants Recipients will be notified of their travel cap amount when they are informed of the outcome of their application Original receipts must be provided with your signature for all costs incurred within two months of completion of travel Scanned copies cannot be accepted Childcare grants There is the possibility to apply for a childcare grant to offset child care costs incurred by participants speakers trainers and organisers when attending a course Eligible costs include but are not limited to fees for a babysitter or child care facility and travel costs for a caregiver Please note that priority will be given to early stage researchers There is a limited amount of funding available for the childcare grants and funds will be distributed amongst eligible applicants Boehringer Ingelheim Fonds travel grant Applies to selected courses only Availability will be indicated during the abstract or motivation letter submission process This grant covers costs related to your attendance to the course registration travel and accommodation costs The grant is restricted to PhD students and postdocs who conduct basic biomedical research Whether you are eligible to apply for a travel grant depends on when you received your university entrance qualification e g Abitur A Levels High School Diploma Final State Examination for PhD and MD students as well as graduates the university entrance qualification must not have been obtained more than 11 years ago at the time of the envisaged course for postdocs the university entrance qualification must not have been obtained more than 13 years ago at the time of the envisaged course EMBO Accessibility Grant For EMBO Practical Course participants with accessibility needs there is the possibility to apply for an accessibility grant to offset costs incurred by participants or speakers when participating at a course Eligible costs include costs incurred for equipment or adaptations to the course environment or travel costs for an event companion to assist the participant or speaker during the course where necessary etc While we do our best to accommodate needs please note that extensive changes to the conference environment might not be possible Please note that priority will be given to early stage researchers A maximum amount of 500 can be awarded per participant applying for an EMBO accessibility grant In order to apply for this grant for EMBO Courses you must be registered by the application deadline Application If you are attending virtually you can apply for financial assistance in the submission portal by the abstract deadline Read the instructions on how to apply for financial assistance Only submissions for financial assistance will be accepted Presentation abstracts cannot be submitted here and will be declined In your application you will be asked to summarise your current work answer questions regarding why your lab cannot fund your attendance and how your attendance will make a difference to your career Application for financial support will not affect the outcome of your registration application For some events applications for Childcare Grants will still be done by email Information about the grant will be sent out shortly after the abstract motivation letter deadline Please contact the event Conference Officer if you have any questions Selection A selection process will take place with the results announced by email to all applicants submitters We aim to announce 3 weeks 21 days after the abstract submission deadline but delays may occur Selection results do not impact your admission to the meeting Selection for registration fee waivers and travel grants is based on scientific merit your current work or study location the reasons for needing financial support and the impact this event will have on your career Childcare grants will be allocated in the same timeframe 6 8 weeks before the event start date Please note that priority will be given to early stage researchers Further details Check out this list of external funding opportunities For further information about financial assistance please refer to the FAQ page Travel and accommodation Accommodation Reservations have been made for course participants at accommodation near the EMBL Grenoble site More details will be shared with selected participants Note accommodation is included in the registration fee Further details Address EMBL Grenoble 71 Av des Martyrs 38000 Grenoble FranceFrom Lyon Saint Exup ry Airport take the airport shuttle bus Lyon Saint Exup ry Grenoble counter Satobus inside the airport or in the bus A single ticket costs 22 a return ticket 33 The stop Place de la R sistance is within easy walking distance of the EMBL site From Grenoble take Tram B towards Resistance roundabout and exit at Grenoble Presquile The site entry is 350m away from the stop For further information on getting to EMBL Grenoble visit our Travel Information page Technical requirements and event software Technical requirements Information will be provided ahead of the course about installing any software required Event software The EMBL eCampus learning platform will be used to collaborate communicate and network with all of the course participants All participants will receive information on how to join shortly before the course We recommend using Chrome Safari or Mozilla Firefox browsers for eCampus Other information While using the software during the course please make sure you have nothing else using your bandwidth We recommend using a wired connection Sponsors Sponsorship opportunities We offer a variety of event sponsoring possibilities with the flexibility to select a set sponsorship package or combine individual sponsorship options to suit your event budget Discounts are available for companies sponsoring multiple events at EMBL Heidelberg View other conferences or contact sponsorship embl org for further information If you are interested in becoming a media partner of this event please visit our media partnerships webpage Request a sponsorship brochure Warning EMBL wishes to warn sponsors of EMBL conferences and 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OverviewSpeakers and trainersPreliminary programmePractical informationSponsorsMedia kit Overview Funded by EMBO for excellence in the life sciences This course will take place at EMBL Grenoble. Course overview Recent advances in cryo-electron microscopy/tomography (cryo-EM/ET), super-resolution microscopy, and deep-learning-based protein structure prediction, combined with increasingly sophisticated sample preparation methods, have transformed structural biology. Solving the field’s most complex challenges will require researchers who can strategically integrate these powerful tools. This course provides a comprehensive overview of modern structural biology methods, with emphasis on sample preparation, characterisation, and data integration. Key topics include: Multi-subunit protein expression in bacterial, insect, and mammalian systems Isolation of native complexes In vitro...
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