IZFS Webinars
About | Upcoming Webinars | Previous Webinars | Sponsors | Sponsorship Opportunities
In April 2020, the International Zebrafish Society (IZFS) launched the IZFS Webinar Series. The series includes a variety of research and professional development topics. The content of the webinars is designed for researchers from every career level and to share the latest scientific findings, methods, technologies, and products to facilitate research. The format provides direct access to experts in the field in an interactive online setting.
Webinar registration is free to all IZFS members. Non-members may participate in each webinar for a fee of $25.00 USD. To register for webinars, please click here. If you have never been a member and would like to join, please click here. If your membership has lapsed and you would like to renew to participate in the webinars, please click here.
Upcoming Webinars
Updates on Single-Cell Gene Expression Technologies
Transcriptomics, epigenomics, bioinformatics and imaging
Featuring speakers from the Schier lab (Yinan Wan, Jialin Liu) and Royer lab (Loic Royer)
February 20, 2025
11:00am - 12:00pm EST | Find your time here
Whole-embryo spatial transcriptomics: from fate to form
Yinan Wan, PhD
Postdoc in Alex Schier’s lab
Biozentrum, University of Basel
@yinan_wan
Spatiotemporal patterns of gene expression underlie embryogenesis. Despite progress in single-cell genomics, mapping these patterns across whole embryos with comprehensive gene coverage and at high resolution has remained elusive. Here, we introduce a whole-embryo imaging platform using multiplexed error-robust fluorescent in-situ hybridization (weMERFISH). We quantified the expression of 495 genes in whole-mount zebrafish embryos at subcellular resolution. Integration with single-cell multiomics data generated an atlas detailing the expression of 25,872 genes and the accessibility of 294,954 chromatin regions, explorable with an online interface MERFISHEYES. We found that temporal gene expression aligns with cellular maturation and morphogenetic movements, and changes in gene expression generate sharp boundaries during gastrulation. These results establish a novel approach for whole-organism spatial transcriptomics, provide a comprehensive spatially resolved multiome atlas of gene expression and chromatin accessibility, and reveal the diversity, precision and emergence of embryonic patterns.
Dissecting the gene regulatory logic of instant differentiation through single-cell multiomics and deep learning
Jialin Liu, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow
Alex Schier Lab
Biozentrum, University of Basel
@jialinliu.bsky.social
The interplay between transcription factors and chromatin accessibility regulates cell type diversification during vertebrate embryogenesis. However, the gene regulatory logic guiding this process is poorly understood. To address this question, we generated a single-cell multiomics atlas of RNA expression and chromatin accessibility during zebrafish embryogenesis. We developed DeepDanio, a deep learning model to dissect the cis-regulation of chromatin accessibility dynamics. We reconstructed comprehensive gene regulatory networks, connecting hundreds of TFs to putative enhancers and target genes. By exploring the reconstructed networks and the DeepDanio model, we discovered a novel mode of cell differentiation, instant differentiation. Unlike the classical stepwise mode of differentiation, which relies on a deep and hierarchical regulatory network, instant differentiation acts through a shallow and flat network and enables pluripotent cells to bypass intermediate regulatory state transitions and directly differentiate into terminal states such as skin- and liver-like tissues. The discovery of instant differentiation supports the intercalary evolution hypothesis, in which organogenesis originated from one-step differentiation and then evolved into a multi-step process by the acquisition of intermediate regulatory layers.
Zebrahub-Multiome: Uncovering Gene Regulatory Network Dynamics During Zebrafish Embryogenesis
Loic Royer, Dr., Rer. Nat.
Chan Zuckerberg Biohub
Sr. Group Leader
Director of Imaging AI
Twitter/ X: @loicaroyer
Bsky: @loicaroyer
Embryonic development is orchestrated by complex gene regulatory networks (GRNs) that control cell fate decisions. However, the temporal dynamics of these networks remain poorly understood. In this talk, I will present Zebrahub-Multiome, a comprehensive, time-resolved single-cell atlas of zebrafish embryogenesis. By integrating single-cell chromatin accessibility (scATAC-seq) and gene expression (scRNA-seq) from over 94,000 cells across six key developmental stages (10 to 24 hours post-fertilization), we reveal how early-stage GRNs transition from broad, multi-lineage roles to highly specialized, cell-type-specific regulatory programs. We employ in silico genetic perturbations to infer the dynamic roles of transcription factors (TFs) in cell differentiation, highlighting the gradual specialization of regulatory circuits. This resource, accessible via an interactive web portal, serves as a foundation for exploring zebrafish gene regulation and vertebrate developmental biology.
Previous Webinars
For a complete list of our archived webinars, please click here
Current members may access the recorded webinars by logging into the "members-only" portal
Webinar Sponsorship Opportunities
This educational format provides a unique opportunity for potential sponsors to connect with the most influential group of fish researchers in a virtual setting. The content of the webinars is designed to attract researchers from every career level and to share the latest scientific findings, methods, technologies and products to facilitate their research work. With this virtual format, sponsors not only have exposure to attendees accessing the live webinars, but additional exposure and continued visibility as webinars are archived on the IZFS website and available to members to view on demand.
Explore the Sponsorship Opportunities Here
Please reach out to Alyssa Gluth at agluth@izfs.org with any questions.