8 December - 10 December 2026
8 December 20262026ConferenceEMBL Heidelberg, Virtual
Robert Finn, Lisa Maier, Kiran Patil, Nassos Typas,
Description OverviewSpeakersPreliminary ProgrammePractical informationSponsorsMedia kit Overview This conference will take place at EMBL Heidelberg with the option to attend virtually Conference overview The gut microbiome is well established as being linked to human health and disease The complex highly personalised communities living in our gut encode 50 100 times more genes than our genome with far reaching effects that extend beyond the gut to our immune system and brain In contrast to our genome our microbiome is actionable offering unprecedented opportunities for interventions However progress in this direction has been slow due to our limited basic molecular and ecological understanding of these complex microbial communities Over the past two decades data driven research has revealed important features of the human gut microbiome such as its resilience diversity and highly personalised composition However our current view of its functional capabilities and interaction with the host is still largely descriptive As the field now strives for causal and mechanistic insights to achieve a deeper understanding of the links between the microbiome and human health progress is being hindered by a lack of model gut microorganisms and foundational functional knowledge The current knowledge of bacterial gene functions pathways and cellular architecture is based on only a few model bacteria which do not capture the phylogenetic and genetic diversity of the gut microbiota As a consequence the vast majority of genes in the gut microbiome remain dark matter with respect to function that is of elusive or completely unknown function This conference presents the first efforts to systematically address this vast dark genetic matter in the human gut microbiome It aims to foster discussion and chart a framework for engaging in this direction in a systematic and collaborative manner in the future What tools and approaches are needed What knowledge will advance microbiome research distinguish between correlative and causal links reveal underlying molecular mechanisms and ultimately progress health applications To advance our functional understanding and microbiome engineering capabilities the meeting will focus on selecting and establishing new model species for the human gut microbiome This has been the core focus of the EMBL Microbial Ecosystems Transversal Theme in recent years and the outcomes of this work will be presented We envision that this meeting will stimulate broader discussions on how to harness the vast functional diversity of microbes which impact every ecosystem on the planet Session topics Data driven functional discovery Genetic tools for mapping gene function and interactions Multi omics for mapping gene function and cellular organisation Visualising functional units and protein machines Gene function in ecological context communities host phages Looking outward and forward links to other microbiomes Speakers Ami Bhatt Stanford University USA David Bikard Institut Pasteur France Xiang Gao Shandong University China KC Huang Stanford University USA Jaime Huerta Cepas Center for Plant Biotechnology and Genomics CBGP UPM INIA CSIC Spain Libusha Kelly Albert Einstein College of Medicine USA Felix Key Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology Germany Ruth Ley Max Planck Institute for Biology T bingen Germany Elisabeth Lowe Newcastle University UK Martin Pilhofer ETH Zurich Switzerland Mikhail Savitski EMBL Heidelberg Germany Nicola Segata University of Trento Italy Justin Sonnenburg Stanford University USA Erica Sonnenburg Stanford University USA Rotem Sorek Weizmann Institute of Science Israel B rbel Stecher Technical University of Munich Germany J rg Vogel Helmholtz Institute University of W rzburg Germany Paul Wilmes University of Luxembourg Luxembourg Karina Xavier Gulbenkian Institute for Molecular Medicine Portugal Maria Zimmermann Kogadeeva EMBL Heidelberg Germany Scientific Organisers Robert Finn EMBL EBI UK Lisa Maier University of T bingen Germany Kiran Patil University of Cambridge UK Nassos Typas EMBL Heidelberg Germany Conference Organiser Sophie Dutzi EMBL Heidelberg Germany Preliminary Programme Are you on social media Post using EMBLGutMicrobeFunction and don t forget to tag EMBLEvents Please note that the programme is subject to change Some speakers may need to join virtually to give their talk For registered participants recorded talks will be accessible on demand for 4 weeks after the end of the event unless indicated otherwise The bus schedule for the shuttle bus will be available closer to the event Day 1 Tuesday 8 December 2026 Time Europe Berlin Session11 00 13 00Registration and light refreshments13 00 13 15Opening remarksSession 1 Data driven functional discoveryChair tbc13 15 13 45Title tbcAmy Bhatt Stanford University USA13 45 14 00Selected short talk 114 00 14 30Unravelling microbial functions and metabolism at the sub species and strain levelNicola Segata University of Trento Italy14 30 15 00Title tbcLibusha Kelly Albert Einstein College of Medicine USA15 00 15 30Coffee BreakSession 1 Data driven functional discovery From data driven functional discovery to experiments Chair tbc15 30 16 00Microbiomes as repositories for new immune functionsRotem Sorek Weizmann Institute of Science Israel16 00 16 15Selected short talk 216 15 16 45Deciphering human microbiome dynamics and evolution at a whole genome resolutionFelix Key Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology Germany16 45 17 00Selected short talk 317 00 17 15Selected short talk 417 15 17 30Selected short talk 517 30 18 30Pre dinner refreshments18 30 19 30Round table Discussion New model species of the gut microbiome19 30 21 00Dinner in EMBL canteen21 00 22 00Poster sneak peak Day 2 Wednesday 9 December 2026 Time Europe Berlin SessionSession 2 Genetic tools for mapping gene function and interactionsChair tbc09 00 09 30Functional genetics of the colorectal cancer microbiomeKC Huang Stanford University USA09 30 09 45Selected short talk 609 45 10 00Selected short talk 710 00 10 30Genetic perturbation of gut Bacteria with engineered phage vectors and CRISPRDavid Bikard Institute Pasteur France10 30 11 00Coffee break11 00 11 30Microbiome interaction with immune therapy in liver cancerRuth Ley Max Planck Institute for Biology Germany11 30 11 45Selected short talk 811 45 12 15Invited speaker 912 15 12 30Selected short talk 912 30 13 00Flash talks13 00 14 00Lunch break14 00 16 00Poster session 1 odd numbers Session 3 Multi omics for mapping gene function and cellular organizationChair tbc16 00 16 30Title tbcMisha Savitski EMBL Heidelberg Germany16 30 16 45Selected short talk 1016 45 17 15Title tbcMaria Zimmermann EMBL Heidelberg Germany17 15 17 30Selected short talk 1117 30 18 00Systems ecology of human microbiome functions from clinical interventions to pathogenic mechanismsPaul Wilmes University of Luxembourg Luxembourg18 00 19 00Meet the editors19 00 20 30Dinner in EMBL Canteen Day 3 Thursday 10 December 2026 Time Europe Berlin SessionSession 4 Visualizing functional units and protein machinesChair tbc09 00 09 30Title tbcMartin Pilhofer ETH Z rich Switzerland09 30 09 45Selected short talk 1209 45 10 00Selected short talk 1310 00 10 30Title tbcElisabeth Lowe Newcastle University UK10 30 11 00Title tbcXiang Gao Shandong University China11 00 11 30Coffee breakSession 5 Gene function in ecological context communities host phages Chair tbc11 30 12 00Title tbcB rbel Stecher Technische Universit t M nchen Germany12 00 12 15Selected short talk 1412 15 12 30Selected short talk 1512 30 13 00Flash talks13 00 14 00Lunch break14 00 16 00Poster session 2 even numbers Session 5 Gene function in ecological context communities host phages Chair tbc16 00 16 30Title tbcJustin Erica Sonnenburg Stanford University USA16 30 16 45Selected short talk 1616 45 17 00Selected short talk 1717 00 17 30Social interactions in gut microbiota communitiesKarina Xavier GIMM Portugal17 30 18 00Coffee breakSession 6 Looking outward forward links to other microbiomesChair tbc18 00 18 30Title tbcJaime Huerta Cepas Center for Plant Biotechnology and Genomics CBGP UPM INIA CSIC Spain18 30 19 30Round table discussions Next frontiers in tacking microbiomes functions19 30 21 00Conference dinner in the canteen21 00 23 59Conference party and poster prize announcements Practical information Registration fees On site registration fees include Admission to the event Possibility to submit an abstract Meals and coffee breaks as indicated in the programme Conference materials Access to the online event platform Access to all the livestreamed talks Video library of the recorded talks during the event and for four weeks afterwards Please note at the request of individual speakers some talks are not recorded A letter to support your visa application for more information check the Travel and accommodation tab Accommodation and travel are not included in the fees participants are expected to book and pay their own expenses On site Academia 760On site PhD Student 660On site Industry 960On site Journal Editors 250 Editors from scientific journals are allowed to attend onsite at a reduced rate but asked to contribute to the conference in return by taking part in Meet the editors sessions or other planned activities within the programme Please contact Name of CO to ask for the special registration link for editors Virtual registration fees include Access to the online event platform Access to all the livestreamed talks Opportunity to submit questions Video library of the recorded talks during the event and for four weeks afterwards Please note at the request of individual speakers some talks are not recorded Virtual Academia 240Virtual PhD Student 190Virtual Industry 290 Note accredited journalists may be eligible to register for complimentary on site or virtual press registration Registrants may be required to provide accreditation or equivalent proof of press membership after registration Please contact Name of CO for more information Confirmation and payment Registration will be on a first come first served basis You can register and submit your abstract without paying the conference fee in advance but your place can only be confirmed after payment of the registration fee If you are added to our waiting list please consider taking advantage of our offerings to participate virtually On site participants types of payments accepted are international bank transfers and credit card payments Virtual participants we are only able to accept card payments In exceptional cases we can accept bank transfers Please contact events embl de for details Cancellation policy If you are no longer able to take part in the conference please inform your conference contact responsible for this event Your registration and the submitted abstract will be deleted Please also check our Terms and Conditions for the cancellation policy Abstract submission Only participants registering to attend the on site event are eligible to submit an abstract and participate in the poster sessions Unfortunately abstracts will not be accepted from virtual participants After registration you can submit your abstract via a separate link that will be provided in the email confirmation Alternatively you can access the link on the confirmation page directly after registering The same login credentials are used for both processes Things to keep in mind when preparing the abstract Abstract body the limit of 2 000 characters refers to manually typed text and excludes spaces If an error occurs try using a different web browser preferably Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox If you copy paste the text into the form hidden formatting might still be included which may cause the text to exceed the 2 000 character limit resulting in an error message We recommend you clear all formatting before pasting in the text If you have special symbols in your text make sure you are using Unicode characters otherwise these will not be recognised Title the title should not exceed 20 words Only the first word of the title should start with a capital letter and the rest should be lowercase Authors and affiliations fill in the author s details as requested in the online form The compulsory fields are First Name Last Name Organisation Name Affiliation or Company Country and Email Kindly mark only one author in the role of First Author and please don t forget to indicate who will be the Presenter Please enter your co authors correctly via the system by adding accounts together with their organisation institute Do not copy paste them into the body of the abstract text as they will not be indexed in the abstract book Presentation types when submitting your abstract you can apply for an oral or poster presentation A selection process will take place with the results announced 3 weeks after the abstract submission deadline delays might occur For detailed instructions on how to submit a conference abstract follow the instructions provided in this video Please check our FAQs pages for further information on how to submit an abstract Financial assistance Financial assistance Limited financial assistance is provided by the EMBL Advanced Training Centre Corporate Partnership Programme in the form of registration fee waivers travel grants and childcare grants Your place in the meeting is only confirmed by paying the registration fee which is mandatory even when receiving a fee waiver Registration fee waiver The fee waiver will cover the registration sum that you have paid to attend the conference Travel grant The travel grant will cover the cost of travel to an on site event airfare train bus taxi accommodation and visa and is provided up to specified caps which are normally as follows Up to 400 for participants travelling to an EMBL Conference from within Europe Up to 1000 for participants travelling to an EMBL Conference from outside Europe The organisers may reduce the grant cap to accommodate more participants Recipients will be notified of their travel cap amount when they are informed of the outcome of their application Receipts and boarding passes for air travel must be provided via email with your signature for all costs incurred within two months of completion of travel Childcare grant There is the possibility to apply for a childcare grant to offset child care costs incurred by participants speakers and organisers when attending a conference Eligible costs include but are not limited to fees for a babysitter or childcare facility and travel costs for a caregiver Please note that priority will be given to early stage researchers You may apply for a childcare grant at the same time when submitting your abstract There is a limited amount of funding available for the childcare grants and funds will be distributed amongst eligible applicants Application On site participants You may apply for financial assistance when submitting your abstract In your application you will be asked to answer questions regarding why your lab cannot fund your attendance and how your attendance will make a difference to your career Application for financial support will not affect the outcome of your registration application Virtual participants If you are attending virtually you can apply for financial assistance in the submission portal by the abstract deadline Read the instructions on how to apply for financial assistance Only submissions for financial assistance will be accepted Presentation abstracts cannot be submitted here and will be declined In your application you will be asked to summarise your current work answer questions regarding why your lab cannot fund your attendance and how your attendance will make a difference to your career Application for financial support will not affect the outcome of your registration application Results The scientific organisers will select the recipients of grant allocations during the abstract selection process The allocations will be announced after the abstract selection results Allocation results do not impact your admission to the meeting Selection for financial assistance is based on scientific merit your current work or study location the reasons for needing financial support and the impact this event will have on your career Please note that for childcare grants priority will be given to early stage researchers Reimbursement Costs will be reimbursed after the meeting only once a reimbursement form and original receipts from travel costs have been received Further details View our list of external funding opportunities or refer to the FAQ page Abstract selection The selection process will take place with the results announced by email to all applicants submitters We aim to announce 3 weeks 21 days after the abstract submission deadline but delays may occur Become an event reporter At our conferences we also offer the option to become an event reporter By attending the meeting sharing your insights on social media and writing a summary report you can offset the conference fees Please read the instructions on how to apply Travel and accommodation Visa We can send you a registration confirmation to support your visa procedure not an official invitation letter after you have paid the registration fee Please contact the Conference Officer responsible for your event Read our FAQ for more information Travel If you are travelling to Heidelberg via aeroplane train car or long distance bus you can find useful information on our travel information page Accommodation Accommodation is not included in the conference registration fee As changes in our events are possible it is recommended that you book flights trains and hotels with flexible options and favourable cancellation conditions Invited speakers please be wary of fraudulent hotel services contacting you to ask for payments see our Accommodation Scam Alert for more information The hotels below have rooms on hold for participants until Monday 9 November 2026 in some cases at special rates Please email the hotel directly quoting the booking code GMD26 01 to confirm the exact price of the room Aparthotel Adagio HeidelbergClick to contact the hotel directlyHotel Holl nder Hof Click to contact the hotel directlyMeininger Heidelberg Click to contact the hotel directly use code EMBL2026 Hotel AnlageClick to contact the hotel directlyHotel ibis HeidelbergClick to contact the hotel directlyPremier Inn Heidelberg City ZentrumClick to contact the hotel directlyHotel Bayrischer Hof Click to contact the hotel directlyInterCity Hotel HeidelbergClick to contact the hotel directlyStaycity Aparthotel HeidelbergClick to contact the hotel directlyB B HotelClick to contact the hotel directlyISG Hotel Click to contact the hotel directlySteffi s Hostel HeidelbergClick here to contact the hotel directlyThe Heidelberg Exzellenz HotelClick to contact the hotel directlyLeonardo Hotel Heidelberg City CentreClick to contact the hotel directlyHotel Vier Jahreszeiten HeidelbergClick to contact the hotel directlyHilton HeidelbergClick to contact the hotel directlyLotte The BackpackersClick to contact the hostel directly Please note that as of 1 October 2025 Heidelberg City Council is introducing an overnight stay tax for tourists visiting Heidelberg including work related trips The cost will be 3 50 EUR per night for the first five nights of a consecutive stay and will be added to the hotel s nightly rate Please contact the individual hotel directly if you have any questions Local transportation Conference shuttle buses These buses are free of charge for participants and depart from designated bus stops near the hotels to EMBL and back mornings and evenings The bus stops for this conference are Staycity Aparthotel Speyerer Str 7 Kurf rsten Anlage opposite main train station Premier Inn City Zentrum Kurf rsten Anlage 23 Leonardo Hotel Heidelberg City Center Bergheimer Str 63 Neckarm nzplatz Heidelberg Tourist Information Peterskirche bus stop Hans B ckler Stra e Bus stop ISG Hotel Im Eichwald 19 View Conference shuttle bus stops and hotels in a larger map Please note that some bus stops may not be used for this event Other local transportation In addition to the shuttle busses there is also the public bus 28 that serves the EMBL campus and taxis can be easily booked at any time For more information please refer to the local transportation RNV website Further details Address EMBL Meyerhofstra e 1 69117 Heidelberg Germany For more information about travel and accommodation please refer to the FAQ page On site information Here you will find useful information for when you are onsite at the event Catering All meals and coffee breaks as indicated in the programme are included in the registration fee Our catering staff will prepare a variety of vegetarian meals meat and fish dishes soups pasta fresh fruit and vegetables as well as a variety of desserts Please wear your badge at all times when serving yourself No food or drinks are allowed in the auditorium Internet Wi Fi is available on campus using the EMBL Events network and the event specific password which will be provided on site The eduroam network secure worldwide roaming access service developed for the international research and education community is also available Photography During the conference an EMBL Photographer may be taking photos If you would not like to appear in these please inform the photographer or at someone the registration desk Charging stations There are lockers available next to the stairs leading down into the Auditorium You will find some of those equipped with sockets to charge your electronic devices In most places the electricity is 220 volts AC 50 cycles An adaptor and a plug that fits the German socket may be needed for your appliances A USB charging station for electronic devices is available at the registration desk Printing We can help to print your boarding pass train ticket Please send it to events embl de and collect your printouts at the registration desk Luggage There are lockers available on site to store your luggage which require a 2 EURO coin to operate There is another luggage room on level E0 which is free to use but remains unlocked during the conference Lost and found Lost and found items are kept at the registration desk until the end of the conference Nursing room There is a nursing room available in the ATC Rooftop Lounge on level A29 Room for prayers meditation and yoga There is a room for prayer yoga and meditation located on level E0 behind the Auditorium Please be respectful of others using the room EMBL campus map Health and safety notes Please take a moment to read our health and safety policy Do not smoke in any EMBL building Eating and drinking is prohibited in the auditorium and all laboratories Do not enter any restricted areas or the laboratories unless instructed to do so If first aid is required The first aid room is located next to the ATC registration desk room 10 205 Dial the emergency number 222 from any EMBL internal phone only Be prepared to answer the following questions where is the accident What happened How many injured Emergency number 06221 387 7821 from mobile phones Please report all accidents at the registration desk In case of fire Press the nearest fire alarm button or the emergency number 222 from any internal phone A loud fire alarm will go off if an evacuation is required On hearing the alarm leave the building immediately following the escape route and fire wardens and head to one of the meeting points Do not use the lifts Beyond first aid The Heidelberg University Hospital or Universit tsklinikum has a 24 hour accident and emergency facility and is at Im Neuenheimer Feld 672 It is a 8 km or a 20 minute taxi ride away from EMBL In a medical emergency the ambulance service generally transports patients to this hospital Please remember to bring your own medication Note that the next pharmacy is a 4 minute drive from the EMBL but for many medications you need a prescription Ensure in advance that your medical insurance will cover you during your visit in the event that you do need to see a doctor while in Heidelberg The EMBL course and conference office team are able to advise you on where to turn for emergency or non emergency medical treatment in Heidelberg and can assist you in making appointments and or arranging transport to get to the pharmacy or a doctor of your choice if necessary Please note we are not however permitted to personally accompany you off campus Sightseeing A variety of activities in Heidelberg can be found on the website of Heidelberg Marketing Event platform Access Access to the event platform is given to all on site and virtual participants You can use the event platform to Access to all the livestreamed talks Opportunity to submit questions for virtual participants Video library of the recorded talks during the event and for four weeks afterwards Please note at the request of individual speakers some talks are not recorded Access to the abstract book Opportunity to engage with speakers and other participants via the discussion area and chat functionality Other useful information how to give a good scientific talk or to make a good scientific poster and more More information about the platform will be shared ahead of the conference Guidelines Please do not share the link to the conference platform with anyone Do not broadcast the conference to unregistered participants You are encouraged to post about the event unless the speaker specifically says otherwise Be mindful of unpublished data Please do not capture transmit or redistribute data presented at the meeting Additional information can be found in our Code of Conduct Time zone The programme is planned based on the Europe Berlin time zone unless otherwise stated Please take your time zone into consideration when planning your attendance Additional information Please find additional information including FAQs terms and conditions and travelling to EMBL on our Information for participants page Sponsors Media partners Cancer Drug Resistance an OAE Publishing Inc journal ChemBioChem a Wiley journal Disease Models Mechanisms a The Company of Biologists journal Medinformatics a Bon View Publishing journal Molecular Systems Biology an EMBO Press journal Open Biology a Royal Society journal PLOS Biology a PLOS journal Synthetic Biology and Engineering a Sciepublish journal We offer a variety of event sponsoring possibilities with the flexibility to select a set sponsorship package or combine individual sponsorship options to suit your event budget Discounts are available for companies sponsoring multiple events at EMBL Heidelberg View other conferences or contact sponsorship embl org for further information on sponsoring possibilities If you are interested in becoming a media partner of this event please visit our media partnerships webpage Request 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EMBL at the following email address sponsorship embl de Media kit Want to let others know you re attending this event Take a look at our shareable media and feel free to use them in your social media channels or presentations Social 1080 1920 Social 1080 x 1350 Social 1600 900 PPT Slide 16 9 Leaderboard 728 90... OverviewSpeakersPreliminary ProgrammePractical informationSponsorsMedia kit Overview This conference will take place at EMBL Heidelberg, with the option to attend virtually. Conference overview The gut microbiome is well established as being linked to human health and disease. The complex, highly personalised communities living in our gut encode 50–100 times more genes than our genome, with far-reaching effects that extend beyond the gut to our immune system and brain. In contrast to our genome, our microbiome is actionable, offering unprecedented opportunities for interventions. However, progress in this direction has been slow due to our limited basic molecular and ecological understanding of these complex microbial communities. Over the past two decades, data-driven research has revealed important features of the human gut microbiome, such as its resilience, diversity, and highly...
Registration (Virtual)
1 December 2026
Registration (On-site)
27 October 2026
Abstract submission
15 September 2026
