EMB|EMBL Symposium - The Cellular Mechanics of Symbiosis: Sensing Friend From Foe

EMB|EMBL Symposium - The Cellular Mechanics of Symbiosis: Sensing Friend From Foe is organized by European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) and will be held from Mar 17 - 20, 2026 at EMBL Advanced Training Centre (ATC), Heidelberg, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany.

Symposium Overview:
Host-microbe interactions can be positive or negative for both a host organism and its symbiotic microbes. Interacting with microbes can enable eukaryotes to acquire essential functions, such as metabolite synthesis or the production of defensive chemicals. However, such interactions are often pathogenic in nature.

This cross-disciplinary meeting picks up where the well-received first edition in 2023 left off and will bring together scientists using cellular, molecular, ecological, physiological, and theory-based approaches to explore the evolution of intimate species-species interactions. The aim is to understand the cellular systems, metabolic pathways and ecological circumstances that drive transitions in symbiotic states, for example, as partnerships move from pathogenesis to beneficial and back again.

One key theme that will be addressed is how hosts distinguish friend from foe. What biological functions- from protein-protein interactions to whole organism behaviours- allow an organism to engage in stable symbiotic interactions. Conversely, which functions ensure partner fidelity and specificity in symbiosis. Such insights will help to understand the complexities of symbiotic function.

Session Topics:

• Partners in conflict: immunity and pathogenesis in symbiosis
• What drives change in the interaction state
• New methods in understanding symbiosis
• Partners in less conflict: how are symbionts harnessed for benefit
• Living in, on, and around others
• Shared lessons across systems: commonalities in symbiosis