EMBO Workshop – Autophagy: foundations, functions and physiology

06/09/2026 au 11/09/2026

Grenå, Denmark

Fluvio Reggiori, Ian Ganley, Lisa Frankel, Alexandra Stolz

Website of the meeting

Program of the meeting

Autophagy plays a central role in maintaining cellular quality control and homeostasis by degrading dysfunctional or excess structures and organelles. It also regulates various cellular and organismal functions, including metabolism, immunity, and cell differentiation. While the mechanism by which autophagy-related (ATG) proteins mediate the formation of autophagosomes has been delineated, the molecular interactions between different functional groups of ATG proteins, lipids, and other intracellular compartments remain poorly elucidated. Additionally, although autophagy has traditionally been considered a bulk process, a series of groundbreaking discoveries has revealed that, in most cases, it operates in a highly selective manner to eliminate unwanted structures. This has led to the identification of selective autophagy receptors (SARs) and provided insights into how they interact with and coordinate the ATG machinery. While much remains to be uncovered, this knowledge now allows for the precise modulation and monitoring of different types of selective autophagy. Researchers can now investigate how each form is regulated and how it contributes to the homeostasis and function of specific tissues and organisms, as well as their adaptability to environmental and developmental cues. This EMBO Workshop will explore the latest advances in the mechanism of autophagy, with a particular emphasis on its selective forms.