COMET™ Community Gathering

About the meeting

Don’t miss the second COMET™ Community Gathering North America on May 28-29, in New York City.

The agenda will include user experience presentations, interactive workshops, and dedicated networking sessions. This meeting offers a unique opportunity to connect with peers, collaborate with experts, and share valuable feedback.

As every year, COMET™ users are invited to come together and discuss their approaches and lessons learnt. This year we also warmly welcome RNAscope™ users interested in learning more about fully automated multiomics on the COMET™ platform.

To know more, browse the detailed agenda below and learn more about travel & accommodation solutions.

Confirmed Speakers

Brian Piening, Ph.D. – Program Director, Providence Genomics / Associate Member, Earle A. Chiles Research Institute

Joanna Pucilowska, Ph.D. – Senior Director, Immune Monitoring and Cancer Omics Laboratories, Knight Cancer Institute

Murray Tipping, Ph.D. – Director, Molecular Cytology Core Facility (MCCF), Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Marina Bleck, Ph.D. – Principal Scientist, Boehringer Ingelheim

Maria Dmitrieva, Ph.D. – Fox Chase Cancer Center

Vytautas Navikas, Ph.D. – Data Scientist, Bio-Techne Spatial

Pedro Machado Almeida, Ph.D. – App. Dev. Team Leader Access Lab, Bio-Techne Spatial

Andreas Wiesner, Ph.D. – Head of Product Management, Bio-Techne Spatial

What to expect

Our keywords are Learn, Discuss, Connect.
Watch the video below for a glimpse into our First COMET™ Community Gathering in Boston.

Meeting venue

Apella New York City
450 E 29th Street, 2nd Floor
New York, NY 10016
Get directions →

Located in the heart of the New York City Research Triangle, Apella @ Alexandria Center for Life Science is a state-of-the-art event space well connected with all the major travel hubs.

Accommodation

A limited number of rooms is available at the Fairfield by Marriott Inn & Suites New York Manhattan/Chelsea at a rate of USD 279 per night, plus applicable taxes. If you would like to reserve a room, please contact [email protected] and provide your full name, along with your check-in and check-out dates.

Please note that rooms will be assigned on a first-come, first-served basis, and payment will be required upon check-in.

Getting there

By train: Apella is conveniently located in Midtown Manhattan, with easy access from major transportation hubs including Grand Central Terminal and Penn Station. Direct Amtrak and regional rail services connect New York City to Boston, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., and other major cities along the Northeast Corridor, with frequent service.

By air: From any of the three airports, Apella is easily accessible by taxi, rideshare, or public transportation.

Is the meeting open to anyone?
No, the meeting is exclusively for scientists using COMET™ and/or RNAscope™ for their research. Please refrain from registering if you do not fall into these categories.

Is there a limit on attendees from each institution?
Multiple people from each institution or research group are welcome to join. However, we recommend not sending more than 5 participants per institution/research group.

Can I attend only one day?
Yes, it is possible to attend only one day of the program.

How can I register?
To register, please fill out the form below.

Is attendance free?
Registration and attendance are completely free. However, all travel and accommodation costs will be the responsibility of the attendees.

I am not based in North America, can I join?
Yes, as long as you fall within the two categories indicated above. The next COMET™ Community Gathering will take place in EMEA in autumn 2026.

Questions or support?
For any questions or support, please email [email protected].

Agenda

Thursday, May 28

9 AM - 6 PM

Apella New York City

Heart of the COMET™ Community Gathering, day one features an engaging program of plenary sessions, user experiences, and ample networking time.

09:00 AM	Doors Opening – Registration
09:55 AM	Opening Remarks Deborah Heintze, Bio-Techne Spatial
10:10 AM	“Approach Me”: Team Introduction Andreas Weisner, Bio-Techne Spatial + Attendees
10:20 AM	New strategies for biomedical discovery enabled by hyperplex immunofluorescence Brian Piening, Providence
10:50 AM	Coffee and Networking
11:10 AM	Added flexibility in experimental design with COMET™ Doris Loutan, Bio-Techne Spatial
11:30 AM	Multimodal integration of COMET™
11:50 AM	Experimental design with multiomics Marina Bleck, Boehringer Ingelheim
12:10 PM	Optimizing “challenging” samples on the COMET™ Murray Tipping, MSKCC
12:30 PM	Lunch and Networking
2:00 PM	Accelerated marker panels with SPYRE™ and Panel Builder Bastian Nicolai, Bio-Techne Spatial
02:20 PM	Getting It Right: Optimization, validation, and panel design for reliable spatial insights Joanna Pucilowska, Oregon Health & Science University
02:40 PM	COMET™ image analysis with HORIZON™ Erica Geneletti, Bio-Techne Spatial
03:00 PM	Image Analysis and Pipeline Integration Mariia Dimitrieva, Fox Chase Cancer Center
03:20 PM	Panel Discussion
03:50 PM	Closing Remarks Andreas Weisner, Bio-Techne Spatial
04:00 PM	Happy Hour and Networking
06:00 PM	Doors Closing

Friday, May 29

9 AM - 1 PM

Apella New York City

The second day will offer a hands-on, interactive experience with workshops, demos, and focused sessions on a variety of topics. Please note that the workshops are concurrent. Therefore, you will need to select a track of interest.

Workshop 1

FOCUS: PANEL DEVELOPMENT AND OPTIMIZATION
From panel design to data: increasing productivity on COMET™

This workshop aims to equip participants with practical strategies to efficiently design, optimize, and troubleshoot panels tailored to specific scientific questions. Through an expert-led presentation, attendees will learn how to accelerate panel creation, streamline lab workflows, and fully leverage COMET’s toolbox and ecosystem—including the panel builder, marker database, and community library—for flexible and productive experimental design.

Workshop 2

FOCUS: IMAGE ANALYSIS
Turn COMET™ Images into Actionable insights with HORIZON™
This workshop aims to equip participants with the knowledge and practical skills needed to efficiently analyze and explore COMET™ image data using HORIZON™. Through an expert‑led introduction and a guided, hands‑on workflow, attendees will learn key image analysis principles, discover best practices for navigating and interpreting spatial multiomic data, and gain confidence in using HORIZON™ to generate actionable insights from their experiments.