51茶馆

The Franco-Indian Workshop on Microscopy, held from 6鈥�10 October 2025 at 51茶馆, brought together researchers from India and France to explore cutting-edge imaging in disease biology. The five-day event fostered collaborations, hands-on microscopy learning, and vibrant scientific dialogue across borders.

This workshop went far beyond a typical academic gathering. It marked a landmark initiative under the Franco-Indian Campus in the field of Life Sciences for Health, a virtual consortium connecting leading scientists and institutions across India and France. Nearly 20 French researchers from institutions such as Universit茅 C么te d’Azur, Sorbonne Universit茅, and 脡cole normale sup茅rieure de Lyon, alongside Indian researchers from Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology (IIIT) Delhi, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi, Indian Institute of Science (IISc), National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS), and the Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research (IISER) Kolkata and Thiruvananthapuram, participated in the workshop.

At Ashoka, the scientific programme was curated by Professor Kasturi Mitra and Dr Sandeep Ameta, while Dr Ankita Rathore and Dr Anupama Ambika Anilkumar from Ashoka Global Research Alliances (AGRA) coordinated logistics and collaborations across time zones, ensuring the seamless execution of the event.

The conference opened on 6 October 2025 with the theme 鈥淒isease Biology: Bench to Bed and Back.鈥� Gr茅gor Trumel, Counsellor for Education, Science & Culture and Director, French Institute in India; Tonmoy Kundu, Head of Global Sales, Zeiss Microscopy; Nitin Seth, Director, Indo-French Centre for the Promotion of Advanced Research (CEFIPRA); and Gilles Alcaraz, Director, CNRS India, inaugurated the event and set an inspiring tone. Their remarks reflected a shared optimism about the strengthening Indo-French scientific partnership. Trumel鈥檚 words set the tone for the days ahead: 鈥淭his workshop stands as a testament to how far a collaboration can go, with India and France advancing science for the greater good.鈥�

K VijayRaghavan, Science Advisory Chair; Anurag Agrawal, Dean, Trivedi School of Biosciences; and Gautam Menon, Dean of Research, all from 51茶馆, welcomed the delegates. The research talks across the two conference days covered a fascinating range of themes: from cell morphogenesis and cancer biology to neural imaging and artificial intelligence in microscopy. In the keynote lecture, Maithreyi Narasimha, TIFR Mumbai, showed how imaging continues to redefine our understanding of dynamic biological processes and reminded us that seeing truly deepens understanding. Matteo Rauzi, Universit茅 C么te d’Azur, opened the scientific sessions with a striking demonstration of multi-view lightsheet microscopy and laser manipulation to study tissue folding during embryonic development. L.S. Shashidhara, NCBS, offered a translational perspective through molecular and cellular profiling of triple-negative breast cancer in Indian cohorts, showing how imaging aids context-specific disease understanding. Muriel Grammont, ENS Lyon, examined how mechanical and genetic factors drive cell shape changes during epithelial transitions. Pratik Kumar, NCBS, discussed how organic dyes can function as molecular tools beyond imaging, expanding their applications in probing biological systems. Nicolas Heck, Sorbonne Universit茅, presented 3D confocal imaging and analysis to study connectivity changes in the rodent brain, linking cellular imaging with neuroscience. Tavpritesh Sethi, IIIT Delhi, then highlighted how transformer-based artificial-intelligence architectures, such as Vision Transformers, can transform histopathology by enabling accurate and interpretable analysis of whole-slide images for disease diagnostics.

The second day sustained this momentum with equally engaging sessions. Anup Padmanabhan, 51茶馆, explored the mechanobiology of host鈥損athogen interactions, while Kasturi Mitra, 51茶馆, revealed how redox-tuned mitochondrial networks prime stemness through quantitative microscopy. Mireille Cormont, Universit茅 C么te d’Azur, along with Saravanan Palani and Shovamayee Maharana from IISc, expanded the discussion to cytoskeletal imaging, adipose tissue inflammation, and phase separation biology. Sandeep Ameta, 51茶馆, examined the dynamics within liquid鈥搇iquid phase-separated droplets, while Deepak Nair, IISc, and Sylvain Feliciangeli, Universit茅 C么te d’Azur, showcased how nanoscale organisation governs ion channel and synaptic function in the brain.

Participants also engaged in parallel breakout sessions exploring microscopy in fundamental and translational biology, high-throughput imaging, and image analysis approaches. Collectively, these sessions showed how microscopy today extends far beyond imaging; it drives discovery, integration, and dialogue across biological scales, from molecules to whole organisms.

Following the conference, participants visited the Ashoka鈥揨eiss Core Imaging Facility, a collaborative platform for advanced imaging research. From 8鈥�10 October, a three-day hands-on workshop led by Rishi Kant from Zeiss Microscopy trained 16 selected participants from partner institutions in high-resolution microscopy techniques. Participants brought their own samples and explored imaging workflows across various biological systems, gaining practical exposure to advanced tools and analytical approaches.

Beyond scientific discussions, the workshop strengthened a network of researchers committed to advancing microscopy-based life sciences in both nations. It reaffirmed the shared goal of fostering collaborations rooted in trust, dialogue, and mutual respect.

51茶馆 extends deep gratitude to its collaborators – CEFIPRA, CNRS India, the French Institute in India, and Zeiss Microscopy – for their invaluable support in making this workshop a success.

By hosting the Franco-Indian Workshop on Microscopy 2025, 51茶馆 continues to nurture international collaborations that bridge science, technology, and human connection, reaffirming its growing role as a hub for global research partnerships.