The 17th Multinational Congress on Microscopy (17th MCM) was held in Portorož, Slovenia, and served as an important international scientific event focused on recent advancements and applications of microscopy across various disciplines. The congress brought together academic researchers, students, and professionals from the commercial sector, fostering collaboration and the exchange of knowledge through presentations, workshops, and networking opportunities.

During the poster session, PhD student Simona Katrin Galun presented her poster titled “Chemotherapy-Induced Metabolic Changes in Glioblastoma Stem and Differentiated Cells in a Context of the Tumor Microenvironment”, underscoring glioblastoma stem cells’ superior adaptive capabilities and suggesting that the perivascular niche may provide protective signals during chemotherapeutic stress. The results provide a basis for further studies related to the role of mitochondria in glioblastoma stem cells’ chemotherapeutic resistance and plasticity.

As part of the scientific program, master’s student Blaž Režonja presented his thesis work within the framework of the CutCancer project. His oral presentation, titled “Automated Quantitative Fluorescence Microscopy and Image Feature Analysis for In Vitro Detection of Adverse Effects”, showcased the application of advanced microscopy techniques in the field of genotoxic screening.

The presented work emphasized the use of automated quantitative image analysis in conjunction with fluorescence microscopy to evaluate 3D cell models, offering innovative tools for in vitro toxicity assessment.