The fourth Sino-French BioImaging Symposium (SFBS-2026) brought researchers, trainees and industry partners from China, France and other European countries to Bordeaux in October 2026. An advanced workshop on 14–16 October was followed by the scientific symposium on 19–21 October at Centre Broca, Bordeaux Neurocampus.

Organized within the CNRS International Research Network BioImage, the event combined practical training with discussion of new imaging methods and their biological applications. It was jointly organized by the Interdisciplinary Institute for Neuroscience (IINS), Bordeaux Imaging Center (BIC) and France-BioImaging, in partnership with Peking University National Biomedical Imaging Center (NBIC), the Institute of Biophysics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Biophysics Society of China, and the Beijing Laboratory of Biomedical Imaging.

Group photo of SFBS-2026 participants

Training linked to biological questions

Twenty-five PhD students and postdoctoral researchers from China and France took part in the advanced workshop. Lectures and hands-on sessions connected fluorescent probes and labeling with super-resolution microscopy, image reconstruction and quantitative analysis. Participants worked with both custom-built and commercial systems, examining how imaging choices depend on the biological question, sample and experimental conditions.

Group photo of workshop trainers and trainees

  

Lectures and hands-on sessions during the workshop

The scientific symposium covered MINFLUX, 4Pi microscopy, expansion microscopy, single-molecule localization and AI-assisted reconstruction, alongside applications in cell biology and neuroscience. Speakers included Liangyi Chen and Bei Liu from Peking University, Wei Ji and Pingyong Xu from the Institute of Biophysics, CAS, and international colleagues including Daniel Choquet, Markus Sauer and Francisco Balzarotti. Short talks, posters and industry sessions created further opportunities to compare methods and discuss research needs.

 

 

Highlights from the SFBS-2026 scientific symposium

A continuing research network

The Bordeaux meeting built on exchanges dating back to 2015 and earlier symposia in Paris and Beijing. Established in 2025 for a five-year term, IRN BioImage is jointly coordinated by Laurent Bourdieu in France and Liangyi Chen in China. Its scientific priorities span probe development, super-resolution microscopy, deep-tissue imaging and quantitative image analysis. The network also supports researcher exchanges, training and the sharing of experience in imaging infrastructure and data management.

Connections with VITAL

For NBIC and the VITAL Initiative, this collaboration offers a practical foundation for connecting biological measurements with models that can be tested experimentally. Led by Peking University, with Prof. Heping Cheng as chief scientist, VITAL formally entered its preparatory phase in August 2026. The initiative aims to connect multimodal imaging and spatial omics with computational models across biological scales.

Such models need measurements that specify what was observed, under which conditions and with what uncertainty. Imaging can constrain models of molecular organization and cellular dynamics; experiments can then test their predictions and reveal where the models need revision. Probe design, quantitative reconstruction and reproducible experimental workflows are therefore directly relevant to this effort.

IRN BioImage presentation during SFBS-2026 in Bordeaux

Building on IRN BioImage, NBIC aims to explore joint projects linking imaging methods, quantitative analysis and experimental validation. Researcher exchanges and shared training can help teams develop the common experimental practices needed for these projects. The Bordeaux meeting provided further opportunities to identify collaborators and scientific questions for this work.

Event information: https://france-bioimaging.org/news-events/our-events/sfbs-sino-french-bioimaging-symposium-2026/