Online tools for teaching bioimaging methods during Covid-19 quarantine

Microscopy and flow cytometry are included in the practical curriculum of the third and final year of the Biochemistry course of our Faculty of Sciences. However, before my arrival, students neither studied the use of fluorescence as an analytical technique in biochemistry nor had access to high level microscopes. My contribution to these experimental courses was to incorporate the practical use of fluorescence in bioimaging techniques such as microscopy or flow cytometry, and to familiarize students with live and fixed cell imaging methods (immunocytochemistry). With the arrival of the Covid-19 pandemic, we lost access to microscopes, and I had to use on-line tools to compensate for this. To my surprise, I found some extremely didactic simulators which, combined with free software normally used in our research, allowed us to offer high quality classes.