Plant Imaging Expert Group meeting: Cryogenic Electron Microscopy at the plant-pathogen interface

Please join us on Wednesday, February 25, at 13:00 CET, for a session featuring Cryogenic Electron Microscopy at the plant-pathogen interface.

Infectious plant pathogens pose one of the greatest and most persistent threats to global agriculture, food security, and ecosystem stability. From viral outbreaks to fungal and bacterial invasions, these microscopic agents are responsible for billions of dollars in crop losses each year and continue to evolve faster than traditional control strategies can keep pace. Understanding how pathogens invade, manipulate, and overcome plant defenses is therefore not just a scientific challenge, it is an urgent global priority.

At the heart of this challenge lies the plant–pathogen interface: a dynamic molecular battleground where infection is initiated and outcomes are decided. Recent advances in imaging technologies are transforming our ability to observe this interface at unprecedented resolution. Among them, Cryogenic Electron Microscopy (cryo-EM) has emerged as a powerful tool, enabling researchers to visualize biological structures in near-native states and uncover mechanistic insights that were previously inaccessible.

We will welcome Juan Carlos De la Concepcion from the University of Tuebingen - Center for plant Molecular Biology (ZMBP) who will showcase how his newly established group is using in situ structural biology to resolve the mechanism of infection of some of the most devastating pathogens affecting agriculture.

Join us to explore cutting-edge methodologies, practical workflows, and emerging applications and how high-resolution imaging can accelerate discovery and inform new strategies to combat devastating plant diseases.