Ready to hack our microscopes

Sarah De Beuckeleer and Marlies Verschuuren had the opportunity to take part in the EMBO workshop "Hack your microscope" held at ITQB NOVA in Oeiras, Portugal. The program combined inspiring talks on open-source microscopy and (un)conventional microfluidics, with a strong emphasis on cost-efficiency and accessibility, with hands-on sessions on multiple open source microscopes such as OpenFlexure, OpenUC2, OpenFrame and Thorlabs building blocks.

Participants from diverse backgrounds were divided into small groups to tackle specific challenges guided by experienced tutors. Building on existing open-hardware systems, each group customized microscopes to suit the specific research questions. This involved integrating 3D-printed components, designing new microfluidic chips, and developing custom software to automate imaging workflows. The outcomes of this intensive and engaging week of frugal science can be explored through the results of Team A, Team B (Sarah), Team C (Marlies) and Team D.

Looking forward to apply this gained knowledge at ACAM, to "hack" our microscopy systems to better tailor them to specific research needs.

Many thanks to organizers Jorge Carvalho, Hannah Heil, Benedict Diederich and Tobias Wenzel as well as all tutors and speakers who made this workshop possible.