Return from a CFATG-sponsored conference: Marion Carpentier

---

Thanks to the support of the CFATG, which covered my registration fees, I had the opportunity to attend the EMBO conference “Neuronal Autophagy: From Circuit Function to Therapy”, which took place from May 17 to 21, 2026, in Sant Feliu de Guíxols, Spain.

At this conference, I had the opportunity to present the results obtained during my first two years of PhD in an oral presentation. My presentation and my work were very well received by the audience, and the experience was made all the more memorable by the fact that the article resulting from this work had been officially published the night before my presentation. I greatly enjoyed meeting the “neuronal autophagy” community and was able to interact with experts in the field during discussions that allowed me to consider possible future for my project. Professionally speaking, this conference was also an opportunity to begin seriously considering my post-PhD plans and allowed me to establish valuable contacts for potential postdoctoral positions.

From a scientific point of view, the various sessions were fascinating and provided a comprehensive understanding of the topic of neuronal autophagy in all its aspects: from development to neurodegeneration, from humans to animals (including, of course, organoids), from bulk autophagy to selective autophagy, and from basic research to therapy. I particularly enjoyed the plenary lecture by Prof. Noboru Mizushima, which notably presented, for the first time, a cohort of patients with mutations in the ATG10 gene, whose clinical presentations were very similar to those of ATG7 patients, a topic that greatly interested me during my PhD work. The session “Autophagy and Mitochondrial Homeostasis in Neurons” was also very enriching and inspiring, with presentations of beautiful super-resolution microscopy data and live imaging which were highly motivating for the mitophagy part of my PhD project. Finally, the conference included “open mic” sessions that allowed participants to discuss, in a less formal setting, various aspects of life as a researcher, from work-life balance to technical challenges, topics that were particularly relevant and meaningful for young scientists and aspiring researchers.
Now, I am returning from this conference full of motivation and ideas for my future experiments! I would like to thank the CFATG once again for giving me the opportunity to have this fantastic experience!

---