EMBO Membrane Contact Sites 2025 — EMBO Workshop. Membrane Contact Sites: Methodology, Biology & Pathology

Intracellular organelles are connected through regions of close apposition known as membrane contact sites (MCS). The growing understanding of MCS’ biology and function has dramatically changed the traditional view of interplay between biochemically compartmentalised entities. MCS are the means via which organelles channel messages and exchange content defining cellular homeostasis thus making the field one of the fastest growing and vibrant in modern biology.

The recognized significance of MCS in cellular physiology and pathology have made clear the need for an ad hoc forum in which advances can be discussed, technological progresses presented and new avenues to reach impact projected. The EMBO Workshop is that forum and has always been this since its first edition. Now at the 4th, this 2025 iteration aims to gather our community a further time and call for informative exchanges on MCS which will pave new avenues of research from those it had helped to pioneer.

The speakers will, therefore, showcase the diverse aspects of the MCS in mammalian model systems, plants and unicellular eukaryotes, explaining mechanistic aspects of regulation and dysregulation which triggers diseases. Furthermore, they will also illustrate the state-of-the-art methodology to inform MSC biology. Besides benefitting from the contribution of the leaders in the field the meeting will offer active inclusion of postgraduate students and early career researchers.