Imaging with… the Super-resolution Microscopy Platform of the National University of Rosario, Argentina.

Posted by FocalPlane, on 24 February 2026

In our ‘Imaging with…’ blog post, we meet the team at the Super-resolution Microscopy Platform of the National University of Rosario, Argentina.

Staff role call

Mariana Semeniuk, Core Facility Manager and Technician
Expertise:Cellular biology, microscopy
Most likely to be foundhalf-frozen in the lab, asking users about their models and brainstorming ideas for third-party services.

Nicolás E. Blanco, Core Facility Scientific Coordinator
Expertise:Plant physiology, microscopy, photosynthesis, and anything that needs to be measured in the dark.
Most likely to be in several places at once, running around and complaining about not having enough time.

Ramiro Rodríguez, Mauricio Menacho, and Analía Novero, Advisory Council
Expertise:Various areas, united by a common interest in microscopy.
Most likely (NOT) to be found together… so maybe they’re actually one person, or more than three (a Schrödinger paradox – microscopy edition).

Román Mocciaro and Andrés Sciara, Infrastructure Head and Faculty Dean
Expertise: Fixing almost everything, and finding solutions for almost everything, respectively.
Most likely to be wherever something needs fixing, or wherever a solution is desperately needed — also respectively.

Microscope role call

The platform was established with a Zeiss LSM 980 scanning confocal microscope with Airyscan 2 as its workhorse, and complemented with the Zeiss Elyra 7 super-resolution microscope (PALM).

Pet peeve (something that users do that is annoying): When users forget that microscopy controls exist and say “I use the red one,” but you can’t tell whether they mean the laser or the fluorophore’s emission wavelength.

Favourite microscope: The trustworthy LSM 980 confocal microscope.

Favourite thing to image: Anything with good sample prep and bright enough to make a beautiful image. BUT NOT CONVALLARIA, PLEASE… and nothing full of bright chloroplasts.

Best bit of advice (that you give or have been given): Always keep a control sample close by to confirm your setup is working properly—so you can be sure it’s a sample issue and not just your brain needing a snack. Control, control, control… and if it’s a positive control, even better.

If money was no object, we would buy… A widefield epifluorescence microscope so users can check their samples before coming to the confocal.

Who can access the facility?

The Platform provides microscopy services to researchers and PhD students belonging to the National University of Rosario (UNR, Rosario), the Argentinian Council of Science (CONICET) and other academic institutions of the region.

We operate an open-call access system and work based on project and pre-project submissions. In this way, we assure proper experimental planning, especially for new users, and fair and equitable access to the platform. As with other technological UNR’s platforms, we are fully engaged in providing third-party services for external users (private companies and industry). These projects are coordinated through the Faculty’s Technology Transfer Office.

The third, and not least important, group of users are the members of Latin America Bioimaging (LABI), with whom we are also coordinating teaching and training activities.

Can you give us some examples of recent papers that were published with your assistance?

We do not yet have publications generated through the Platform, as the Platform was only inaugurated in July 2025 and users have only recently started their projects and pre-projects. However, we expect to have outputs next year.

How should users acknowledge the facility and why is it important?

Users should acknowledge the Platform in all publications and presentations that include data acquired with our instruments, specifically in the Materials and Methods and Acknowledgments sections. The recommended wording is: “Microscopy images were acquired at the Super-resolution Microscopy Platform of the National University of Rosario (Rosario, Argentina)” or “The authors acknowledge the technical and imaging support of the Super-resolution Microscopy Platform of the National University of Rosario (Rosario, Argentina).”

Acknowledging the facility recognizes the technical support, infrastructure, and expertise that made the work possible. As emphasized by international bioimaging networks, proper acknowledgment helps demonstrate the Facility’s scientific impact, supports future funding, and ensures the sustainability of imaging platforms. It is part of a global effort to acknowledge and strengthen the careers of imaging scientists.