Biotechnology is currently so focused on genes and proteins that we sometimes forget we are operating in physical systems with mass, shape, and movement, albeit very small to our eyes.
So the study and manipulation of these cellular and tissular systems need to take into account the forces and configurations that shape them into functionality.
The sixth edition of the Course Optics, Forces & Development trained attendees in visualization and measurement techniques and technologies to foster research into the hinge between molecular structure and the final observable form and function of biotechnological systems, by teaching early career professionals to operate microscopy settings and AI tools for the visualization of live biological processes.
UNU‑BIOLAC wishes to acknowledge the course coordinator, Dr. Miguel Concha, the organizing committee, and the whole group of exceptional speakers and instructors, whose joint efforts made this edition of the course possible at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Chile in Santiago, Chile. We also recognise the support of EMBO and the collaborating Chilean and international institutions that contributed to the successful organization of Optics, Forces & Development 2026.
