Abstract:

The most sophisticated in vitro and ex vivo approaches fail to faithfully reproduce the complex environment of physiological and pathophysiological processes that occur in vivo. Hence, a “reality check”, in vivo experiments which complement in vitro or ex vivo findings need to be performed. In this context, intravital microscopy (IVM) is an essential approach since it allows the visualization at high resolution of cellular and molecular events in living organisms. The practice of IVM was initiated centuries ago, but recent developments have rendered this technique critical in every researcher’s technological toolbox. However, IVM expertise is spread across multiple countries and to our knowledge actions to share knowledge, pool resources and transcend borders in this field are missing. Our objective is to bring together the leaders in the field of IVM, in particular those working on tumor biology and its microenvironment. As a result, we expect to increase the crosstalk between researchers, foster collaborations and increase awareness of young researchers about the potential of IVM of tumors, in particular, in the context of tumor growth, metastasis and immune escape. Altogether, we aim to promote interactions between established and young researchers to transfer knowledge across generations in the field of IVM.