This conference will take place at EMBL Heidelberg, with the option to attend virtually. Proof of COVID-19 vaccination or recovery is required for on-site attendance. Please see EMBL’s COVID-19 safety policy for on-site events.

Symposium Overview

Phase separation is emerging as a common biophysical basis underlying many important cellular functions. This conference will bring together scientists from soft matter, polymer physics, molecular biology, structural biology, and cell and developmental biology to study condensates in biology and disease. Goals are

• to increase the awareness for how important phase separation is for our understanding of many biological processes
• to explore the large repertoire of new tools generated by other disciplines that are ripe to be applied to complex problems related to phase separation
• to close the gap in human potential and transdisciplinary training to tackle the role of phase separation in biology

Session Topics

• Phase-separated compartments in the cell
• Molecular mechanisms of phase separation
• Phase separation, a polymer physics perspective
• Phase separation in developmental biology and non-linear signaling
• The pathological face of phase separation
• Protein structure in the condensed state
• Phase separation in neurobiology