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HortiCell POST SUMMER COURSE

A practical training in protoplast and microspore technology

September 14th-18th @HortiCell – Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University

Are you interested in performing tissue culture technology? Do you struggle with the isolation cultivation and regeneration of protoplasts or microspores? Do you want to fuse plant cells from different genotypes?
Single plant cell biotechnology is becoming the cornerstone of advanced plant breeding and tissue culture technology. Get your early ticket on the bandwagon and receive training from the experts.

Course set up

The course is organized for PhD students, Postdocs, and professional scientist from industry. It consists of two consecutive modules. You can register for either of the two, or both. The registration limit is 12 persons per module. Applicants will be selected based on a motivation letter and full payment of the registration fee.
The course starts on Monday morning and ends on Friday evening. Module 1 is from Monday till Wednesday; module 2 is from Wednesday till Friday. Wednesday includes two lectures and a networking moment. Applicants are expected to show up on time to avoid delays in executing the program. A no show will lead to potential exclusion from future training courses.
We offer feedback of the experimental results after completing each of the modules.

Registration

The registration fee includes the practical training sessions of module 1, 2 or both; a booklet with protocols and methodology; meals during lunch; and drinks during breaks. Drinks during networking events outside of the training premises are not included.
Register before April 1st by filling out the registration form below. Shortly after you will be informed whether your application is accepted and we will send payment instructions. Registration is completed upon payment of the fee to be executed by May 15th. Late payments may lead to opening the slot to a second in line applicant.  

Register
Programme

Course Content

Module 1
  1. Microspore isolation and culture – Mária Braun Šimášková;
    • Flower bud selection        
    • Microspore isolation        
    • Cell Counting and concentration determination
    • Microspore stress treatment        
    • Cell stage assessment (confocal microscopy)
    • Cell viability assessment (Amphasis)
  2. Microspore embryo analysis and conversion – Robin Lardon
    • Microspore embryo imaging and automated quantification        
    • Microspore cell sorting  and enrichment for embryogenic populations
    • Detecting Polyploidy with Flow Cytometry
Module 2
  1. Isolation and culturing of protoplasts – Tiago Monteiro Rodrigues
    • Enzymes and incubation conditions
    • Gradient centrifugation
    • Embedding protoplasts in alginate
  2. Protoplast fusion – Hoang Khai Trinh
    • Protoplast quality and density assessment
    • Preparing asymmetric fusion: UV and iodoacetate treatment
    • PEG-based and electrofusion

The two modules are supplemented with 2 lectures:

Lecture 1: Optimization of media and incubation conditions – Steffen Vanneste, Tiago Monteiro Rodrigues.

Lecture 2: Protoplast and microspore cell sorting – Andre Skirtach, Robin Lardon, Mária Braun Šimášková.
There will be a timeslot dedicated for discussing the protocol and experimental results.

Cancellation procedure: cancellation is possible up to August 15th with 90% of the registration fee being reimbursed. Later cancellations are not accepted unless we can fill the open position with a candidate waiting in line.