Caren Norden
Gulbenkian Institute of Science
Portugal
Overview
This conference will take place at EMBL Heidelberg, with the option to attend virtually.
Registration is not yet open for this event. If you are interested in receiving more information please register your interest.
Symposium overview
How do cells and tissues build themselves and respond to their environment? Over the past decade it has become clear that physico-chemical properties are rapidly modulated to accommodate or drive changes in shape or behavior and to exchange matter and information with the environment.
Solving the grand challenges of this field requires integrating expertise from biology, physics, and engineering. Furthermore, understanding which processes are system-specific and which represent generalizable principles requires us to use the lens of evolution to compare across the tree of life.
Responding to this important challenge, we bring together researchers across all biological systems and will particularly focus on new technologies that empower studies of cell wall, cytoskeleton, and membrane biology, such as advanced imaging in in vitro and in vivo systems, as well as approaches combining molecular biology with computational and biophysical approaches.
Since this is a new and expanding area, we will have a particular focus on early career researchers. Our goal is to inspire, catalyze, and foster collaborations across diverse communities to reach a comprehensive understanding of mechanobiology across kingdoms, integrating cell wall, actin and membrane biochemistry and biophysics with cell mechanics.
Speakers
Keynote speakers
Manu Prakash
Stanford University
USA
Speakers
Karen Alim
Technical University of Munich
Germany
Daria Bonazzi
Institut Pasteur
France
David Brückner
University of Basel
Switzerland
Agathe Chainge
Utrecht University
The Netherlands
Knut Drescher
University of Basel
Switzerland
Ethan Garner
Harvard University
USA
Stephan Grill
Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics
Germany
Olivier Hamant
École normale supérieure de Lyon
France
Kinneret Keren
Technion – Israel Institute of Technology
Israel
Thomas Lecuit
Marseille Developmental Biology Institute
France
Matthias Lütolf
EPFL
Switzerland
Natasha Mhatre
University of Western Ontario
Canada
Naomi Nakayama
Imperial College London
UK
Ulrich Schwarz
University of Heidelberg
Germany
Orion Weiner
University of California, San Francisco
USA
Scientific organisers
Alba Diz-Muñoz
EMBL Heidelberg
Germany
Nicoletta Petridou
EMBL Heidelberg
Germany
Enrique Rojas
New York University
USA
Xavier Trepat
Institute or Bioengineering of Catalonia
Spain
Kirsty Wan
University of Exeter
UK
About
EMBO | EMBL Symposia promote scientific communication and collaboration in the European research area. They provide scientists with a platform to discuss and exchange ideas on forward-looking topics and new developments in the life sciences.
Topics emphasise upcoming developments and the interdisciplinary nature of related fields. Jointly funded and organised by EMBO and EMBL – and complementary to their respective courses, workshops, and conference programmes – the symposia promote scientific communication and collaboration.
All symposia are held in the EMBL Advanced Training Centre (ATC) in Heidelberg, Germany, or virtually.
Sponsors
Sponsorship opportunities
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Date: 9 - 12 Jun 2026
Location: EMBL Heidelberg and Virtual
Venue: EMBL Advanced Training Centre
Organisers:
-
Alba Diz-Munoz
EMBL Heidelberg, Germany -
Nicoletta Petridou
EMBL Heidelberg, Germany -
Enrique Rojas
New York University, USA -
Xavier Trepat
Institute of Bioengineering of Catalonia, Spain -
Kirsty Wan
University of Exeter, UK
Contact: EMBL events