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EMBO | EMBL Symposium: Cellular mechanisms driven by phase separation

Event category: EMBL

Date: May 19, 2026 to May 22, 2026

Event website: https://www.embl.org/about/info/course-and-conference-office/events/EES26-08/

Location: EMBL Heidelberg and Virtual, EMBL Advanced Training Centre

Organizers:

Paolo Arosio, ETH Zurich, Switzerland
Sara Cuylen-Haering, EMBL Heidelberg, Germany
Amy Gladfelter, Duke University School of Medician, Durham, USA
Alex Holehouse, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, USA

 

Event description

 

Symposium overview

The realisation that intracellular phase transitions underlie the formation of membrane-less compartments, also known as biomolecular condensates, in cells has transformed our understanding of cellular organisation in time and space. While the existence of membrane-less organelles – e.g. nucleoli, stress granules, and Cajal bodies – had been known for a long time, it was unclear until recently how these were formed, maintained, and regulated. Importantly, the interdisciplinary nature of the molecular and cellular principles that underlie condensate biology necessitates the combined expertise of cell biology, genetics, biochemistry, biophysics, and soft matter physics.

This interdisciplinary conference will bring together scientists from diverse fields to foster new discoveries and discuss emerging principles in condensate biology. Topics will range from basic biophysical principles of condensate formation to the role intracellular phase transitions play in cellular adaptation to the impact condensate dysregulation has on human disease. The conference will nurture a new generation of scientists who challenge the boundaries of existing fields and think creatively about how to tackle important emerging questions in cellular organisation, adaptation, and robustness.

 

Session topics

  • Membraneless compartments in the cell
  • Physical, structural and molecular principles of condensate form and function
  • Condensates in adaptation
  • Condensates in gene expression and genome organisation
  • Condensate crosstalk with cellular structures
  • Condensates in disease

#EESPhaseSeparation

 

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