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The new cardiobiology: engineering, vascular, and molecular insights – Course and Conference Office

EMBL Conference

The new cardiobiology: engineering, vascular, and molecular insights

Overview

This conference will take place at EMBL Heidelberg, with the option to attend virtually.

Conference overview

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of human mortality, and despite an active research community many of the underlying mechanisms are unknown. Open questions surround molecular triggers, the relationship of GxE, impact of epigenetics, the role of sex, inflammation and microbiome, as well as metabolism and multi-organ links in cardiovascular disease. Advanced molecular and human-mimicking tissue engineering techniques are revolutionizing the way we approach cardiovascular discovery research. These developments led to the inaugural “The new cardiobiology” meeting at EMBL in 2024.

In light of further technical advances in the field, the conference will repeat in 2026 and seek to unite speakers across cardiac and vascular biology, tissue engineering as well as systems biology to continue studying cardiovascular disease.

Session topics

  • Cardiovascular regeneration
  • Novel 3D multicellular systems
  • Cardiometabolic complications
  • Multi-organ disease
  • New translational breakthroughs

Speakers

Keynote speakers

James F. Martin

Texas Heart Institute

USA

Alessandra Moretti

Technical University of Munich

Germany

Speakers

Gianluigi Condorelli

Humanitas University

Italy

Harsha Devalla

Amsterdam UMC

The Netherlands

Stefanie Dimmeler

Goethe University

Germany

Roger Foo

National University of Singapore

Singapore

James Hudson

QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute

Australia

Dan Huh

University of Pennsylvania

USA

Joanna Kalucka

Aarhus University

Denmark

Rafael Kramann

RWTH Aachen University

Germany

Michela Noseda

Imperial College London

UK

Milica Radisic

University of Toronto

Canada

Julio Saez-Rodriguez

EMBL-EBI Hinxton

UK

Judith Sluimer

Maastricht University Medical Center

The Netherlands

Miguel Torres

Spanish National Centre for Cardiovascular Research

Spain

Eldad Tzahor

Weizmann Institute of Science

Israel

Florian Anton Weinberger

Spanish National Centre for Cardiovascular Research

Spain

Karina Yaniv

Weizmann Institute of Science

Israel

Wolfram-Hubertus Zimmerman

Pharmacology and Toxicology University Medical Center Göttingen

Germany

Scientific organisers

Johannes Backs

Heidelberg University

Germany

Roger Foo

National University of Singapore

Singapore

Kristina Haase

EMBL Barcelona

Spain

Sara S. Nunes de Vasconcelos

University of Toronto

Canada

Preliminary programme

Are you on social media? Post using #EMBLCardioBiology and don’t forget to tag @EMBLEvents

  • Please note that the programme is subject to change. Some speakers may need to join virtually to give their talk.
  • For registered participants, recorded talks will be accessible on demand for 2 weeks after the end of the event, unless indicated otherwise.
Day 1 – Monday 16 February 2026
Time
(Europe/Berlin)
Session
12:00 – 14:15Registration and light refreshments
14:15 – 14:30Opening remarks
14:30 – 18:30Session 1: Modeling the cardiovascular system
Chair: to be confirmed
14:30 – 15:00Pacemaking the heart
Harsha Devalla – Amsterdam UMC, The Netherlands
15:00 – 15:30Heart on a chip disease models
Milica Radisic – University of Toronto, Canada
15:30 – 15:45Selected short talk #1
15:45 – 16:00Selected short talk #2
16:00 – 16:30Coffee break and meet the speakers
16:30 – 17:00Generation of cardiopedia: a perturbation-function-biology catalogue of cardiac biology
James Hudson – QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Australia
17:00 – 17:15Selected short talk#3
17:15 – 17:30Selected short talk#4
17:30 – 18:30Keynote lecture: Advancing epicardioids for modeling cardiac development, disease and regeneration
Alessandra Moretti – Technical University of Munich, Germany
18:30 – 19:30Speed networking
19:30 – 21:00Dinner in Canteen
21:00 – 22:30After dinner drinks – ATC Foyer
Day 2 – Tuesday 17 February 2026
Time
(Europe/Berlin)
Session
09:00 – 13:15Session 2: Cardiovascular Regeneration
Chair: to be confirmed
09:00 – 09:30Unraveling cardiac repair mechanisms
Eldad Tzahor – Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel
09:30 – 09:45Selected short talk #5
09:45 – 10:00Selected short talk #6
10:00 – 10:30Coffee break and meet the speakers
10:30 – 11:00Cardiac repair mechanisms: insights from opto- and chemogenetic approaches
Florian Anton Weinberger – Spanish National Centre for Cardiovascular Research, Spain
11:00 – 11:30Patches for heart regeneration
Wolfram-Hubertus Zimmerman – University Medical Center Göttingen, Germany
11:30 – 11:45Selected short talk #7
11:45 – 13:15Lunch and meet the editors
13:15 – 14:45Session 3: Metabolic control of cardiovascular function
Chair: to be confirmed
13:15 – 13:45Epigenetic mechanisms regulating myocardial function
Gianluigi Condorelli – Humanitas University, Italy
13:45 – 14:15Arterial fibroblast fate and function in vascular disease
Judith Sluimer – Maastricht University Medical Center, The Netherlands
14:15 – 14:30Selected short talk #8
14:30 – 14:45Selected short talk #9
14:45 – 15:15Flash talk session 1
15:15 – 15:45Coffee break and meet the speakers
15:45 – 17:45Poster Session 1 (odd numbers)
17:45 – 19:15Dinner in Canteen
19:15 – 21:15Flash talks
17:00 – 18:30After dinner drinks in ATC Rooftop lounge
Day 3 – Wednesday 18 February 2026
Time
(Europe/Berlin)
Session
09:00 – 13:45Session 4: Cardiovascular Communication I
Chair: to be confirmed
09:00 – 09:30Deciphering cardiac cell-cell communication in health and disease
Michela Noseda – Imperial College London, United Kingdom
09:30 – 10:00Regulation of cardiomyocyte maturation and cardiac regeneration
Miguel Torres – Spanish National Centre for Cardiovascular Research, Spain
10:00 – 10:15Selected short talk #10
10:15 – 10:30Selected short talk #11
10:30 – 11:00Coffee break and meet the speakers
11:00 – 11:30Endothelial inflammation: consequences for cellular metabolism
Joanna Kalucka – Aarhus University, Denmark
11:30 – 12:00Egr1 is a master regulator of regenerative sOrganoid communications
Dan Huh – University of Pennsylvania, USA
12:00 – 12:15Selected short talk #12
12:15 – 12:30Selected short talk #13
12:30 – 13:15Lunch
13:15 – 14:00Career workshop: Close the gap between academia and clinical application
14:00 – 14:15Selected short talk #14
14:15 – 14:30Selected short talk #15
14:30 – 15:00Flash talk session 2
Free evening
Day 4 – Thursday 19 February 20266
Time
(Europe/Berlin)
Session
09:00 – 13:45Session 5: Cardiovascular Communication II
Chair: to be confirmed
09:00 – 09:30Heart-kidney crosstalk
Rafael Kramann – RWTH Aachen University, Germany
09:30 – 10:00Vascular development and its impact on cardiac function
Karina Yaniv – Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel
10:00 – 10:15Selected short talk #16
10:15 – 10:30Selected short talk #17
10:30 – 11:00Coffee break and meet the speakers
11:00 – 11:30Clonal hematopoiesis in cardiovascular communications
Stefanie Dimmeler – Goethe University, Germany
11:30 – 11:45Selected short talk #18
11:45 – 12:00Selected short talk #19
12:00 – 12:15Selected short talk #20
12:15 – 13:00Lunch
13:00 – 13:45Career workshop: Close the gap between academia and clinical application
13:45 – 14:15Knowledge-based machine learning to extract disease mechanisms from spatial multi-omics
Julio Saez-Rodriguez – EMBL-EBI Hinxton, United Kingdom
14:15 – 14:45Epigenetics of cardiometabolic disease
Roger Foo – National University of Singapore, Singapore
14:45 – 15:00Selected short talk #21
15:00 – 15:15Selected short talk #22
15:15 – 16:15Keynote lecture: From regenerative biology to clinical application
James F. Martin – Texas Heart Institute, USA
16:15 – 16:45Coffee break and meet the speakers
16:45 – 18:45Poster Session 2 (even numbers)
18:45 – 20:45Conference dinner in the canteen
20:45 – 00:00Party

Practical information

Registration fees

On-site registration fees

Your registration for the on-site event includes:

  • Admission to the event
  • Possibility to submit an abstract
  • Meals and coffee breaks
  • Conference materials
  • Access to the online event platform
  • Access to all the livestreamed talks
  • Video library of the recorded talks during the event and for four weeks afterwards. Please note: at the request of individual speakers, some talks are not recorded
  • A letter to support your visa application (for more information, check the ‘Travel and accommodation’ tab)

Accommodation and travel are not included in the fees — participants are expected to book and pay their own expenses.

On-site Academia€450
On-site PhD Student€350
On-site Industry€770
On-site Journal Editors*€300

*Editors from scientific journals are allowed to attend onsite at a reduced rate, but asked to contribute to the conference in return by taking part in ‘Meet the editors’ sessions or other planned activities within the programme.


Virtual registration fees

Your virtual registration for the event includes:

  • Access to the online event platform
  • Access to all the livestreamed talks
  • Opportunity to submit questions
  • Video library of the recorded talks during the event and for four weeks afterwards.
    Please note: at the request of individual speakers, some talks are not recorded.

Virtual Academia€200
Virtual PhD Student€150
Virtual Industry€275

Note: accredited journalists may be eligible to register for complimentary on-site or virtual press registration. Registrants may be required to provide accreditation or equivalent proof of press membership after registration. Please contact Catherine Casas-Saavedra for more information.

Confirmation and payment

Registration will be on a first come, first served basis. Your place can only be confirmed after payment of the registration fee. If you are added to our waiting list, please consider taking advantage of our offerings to participate virtually.

On-site participants: types of payments accepted are international bank transfers and credit card payments. 

Virtual participants: we are only able to accept card payments. In exceptional cases we can accept bank transfers. Please contact events@embl.de for details.

Cancellation policy

If you are no longer able to take part in the conference, please inform your conference contact responsible for this event. Your registration and the submitted abstract will be deleted.

Please also check our Terms and Conditions for the cancellation policy.

Abstract submission

Only participants registering to attend the on-site event are eligible to submit an abstract and participate in the poster sessions. Unfortunately, abstracts will not be accepted from virtual participants.

After registration you can submit your abstract via a separate link that will be provided in the email confirmation. Alternatively, you can access the link on the confirmation page directly after registering. The same login credentials are used for both processes.

Things to keep in mind when preparing the abstract

Abstract body: the limit of 2,000 characters refers to manually typed text and excludes spaces. If an error occurs try using a different web browser (preferably Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox).

If you copy-paste the text into the form, hidden formatting might still be included which may cause the text to exceed the 2,000 character limit resulting in an error message. We recommend you clear all formatting before pasting in the text.

If you have special symbols in your text, make sure you are using Unicode characters, otherwise these will not be recognised.

Title: the title should not exceed 20 words. Only the first word of the title should start with a capital letter and the rest should be lowercase.

Authors and affiliations: fill in the author’s details as requested in the online form. The compulsory fields are: First Name, Last Name, Organisation Name (Affiliation or Company), Country, and Email.

Kindly mark only one author in the role of First Author and please don’t forget to indicate who will be the Presenter.

Please enter your co-authors correctly via the system by adding accounts together with their organisation/institute. Do not copy-paste them into the body of the abstract text, as they will not be indexed in the abstract book.

Presentation types: when submitting your abstract, you can apply for an oral or poster presentation. A selection process will take place with the results announced 3 weeks (21 days) after the abstract submission deadline.

For detailed instructions on how to submit a conference abstract, follow the instructions provided in this video.

Please check our FAQs pages for further information on how to submit an abstract.

Financial assistance

Financial assistance

Limited financial assistance is provided by the EMBL Advanced Training Centre Corporate Partnership Programme and EMBO in the form of registration fee waivers, travel grants, and childcare grants.

Your place in the meeting is only confirmed by paying the registration fee, which is mandatory even when receiving a fee waiver.

Registration fee waiver

The fee waiver will cover the registration sum that you have paid to attend the conference.

Travel grant

The travel grant will cover the cost of travel to an on-site event (airfare, train, bus, taxi, accommodation, and visa) and is provided up to specified caps which are normally as follows:

  • Up to €400 for participants travelling to an EMBL Conference from within Europe.
  • Up to €1000 for participants travelling to an EMBL Conference from outside Europe.

The organisers may reduce the grant cap to accommodate more participants. Recipients will be notified of their travel cap amount when they are informed of the outcome of their application. Original receipts must be provided with your signature for all costs incurred within two months of completion of travel. Scanned copies cannot be accepted.

Childcare grant

There is the possibility to apply for a childcare grant to offset child care costs incurred by participants, speakers, and organisers when attending a conference.

Eligible costs include (but are not limited to) fees for a babysitter or childcare facility, and travel costs for a caregiver. Please note that priority will be given to early stage researchers. In order to apply for this grant, you must be registered by the abstract submission deadline. There is a limited amount of funding available for the childcare grants and funds will be distributed amongst eligible applicants.

Application

On-site participants

You may apply for financial assistance when submitting your abstract. In your application you will be asked to answer questions regarding why your lab cannot fund your attendance and how your attendance will make a difference to your career. Application for financial support will not affect the outcome of your registration application.

Virtual participants

If you are attending virtually, you can apply for financial assistance in the submission portal by the abstract deadline. Read the instructions on how to apply for financial assistance. Only submissions for financial assistance will be accepted. Presentation abstracts cannot be submitted here and will be declined. 

In your application you will be asked to summarise your current work,  answer questions regarding why your lab cannot fund your attendance, and how your attendance will make a difference to your career. Application for financial support will not affect the outcome of your registration application.

Selection

The scientific organisers will select the recipients of registration fee waivers and travel grants during the motivation letter or abstract selection process. Results will be announced approximately 6 – 8 weeks before the event start date, however for some events this may be delayed. Selection results do not impact your admission to the meeting. Selection for registration fee waivers and travel grants is based on scientific merit, your current work or study location, the reasons for needing financial support, and the impact this event will have on your career.

Childcare grants will be allocated in the same timeframe (6-8 weeks before the event start date). Please note that priority will be given to early-stage researchers.

Reimbursement

Costs will be reimbursed after the meeting only once a reimbursement form and original receipts (from travel costs) have been received.

Further details

View our list of external funding opportunities or refer to the FAQ page.

Become an event reporter

At our conferences we also offer the option to become an event reporter. By attending the meeting, sharing your insights on social media, and writing a summary report, you can offset the conference fees. Please read the instructions on how to apply.

Travel and accommodation

Visa

We can send you a registration confirmation to support your visa procedure (not an official invitation letter). Please contact the Conference Officer responsible for your event. For more information, please see here.

Travel

If you are travelling to Heidelberg via aeroplane, train, car, or long-distance bus, you can find useful information here.

Accommodation

Accommodation is not included in the conference registration fee.

As changes in our events are possible, it is recommended that you book flights, trains, and hotels with flexible options and favourable cancellation conditions.

Invited speakers please be wary of fraudulent ‘hotel services’ contacting you to ask for payments, see our Accommodation Scam Alert for more information.

The hotels below have rooms on hold for participants until 25 January 2026, in some cases at special rates. Please email the hotel directly, quoting the booking code NCB26-01 to confirm the exact price of the room.

Hotel AnlageHotel Holländer Hof Meininger Heidelberg
Hotel Bayrischer Hof Hotel ibis HeidelbergHotel Monpti
B&B HotelInterCity Hotel HeidelbergPremier Inn Heidelberg City Zentrum
The Heidelberg Exzellenz HotelISG Hotel Staycity Aparthotel Heidelberg
Hilton HeidelbergLeonardo Hotel Heidelberg City CentreHotel Vier Jahreszeiten Heidelberg

Local transportation

Conference shuttle buses

These buses are free of charge for participants and depart from designated bus stops near the hotels to EMBL and back, mornings and evenings.

The bus stops for this conference are:

  • Staycity Aparthotel (Speyerer Str. 7)
  • Kurfürsten-Anlage (opposite main train station)
  • Premier Inn City Zentrum (Kurfürsten-Anlage 23)
  • Leonardo Hotel Heidelberg City Center (Bergheimer Str. 63)
  • Neckarmünzplatz (Heidelberg Tourist Information)
  • Peterskirche (bus stop)
  • Hilton Hotel (Kurfürsten-Anlage 1)
  • ISG Hotel (Im Eichwald 19)

View Conference shuttle bus stops and hotels in a larger map. Please note that some bus stops may not be used for this event.

Other local transportation

In addition to the shuttle busses, there is also the public bus 28 that serves the EMBL campus and taxis can be easily booked at any time. For more information, see here.

Further details

Address: EMBL, Meyerhofstraße 1, 69117 Heidelberg, Germany.

For more information about travel and accommodation, please refer to the FAQ page.

On-site information

Here you will find useful information for when you are onsite at the event.

Catering

All meals and coffee breaks are included in the registration fee. Our catering staff will prepare a variety of vegetarian meals, meat and fish dishes, soups, pasta, fresh fruit and vegetables, as well as a variety of desserts.

Please wear your badge at all times when serving yourself.

No food or drinks are allowed in the auditorium.

Internet

Wi-Fi is available on campus using the EMBL-Events network and the event specific password, which will be provided on site. The eduroam network (secure, worldwide roaming access service developed for the international research and education community) is also available.

Photography

During the conference, an EMBL Photographer may be taking photos. If you would not like to appear in these, please inform the photographer or at someone the registration desk.

Charging stations

There are lockers available next to the stairs leading down into the Auditorium. You will find some of those equipped with sockets to charge your electronic devices.

In most places the electricity is 220 volts AC (50 cycles). An adaptor and a plug that fits the German socket may be needed for your appliances. A USB charging station for electronic devices is available at the registration desk.

Printing

We can help to print your boarding pass/train ticket. Please send it to events@embl.de and collect your printouts at the registration desk.

Luggage

There are lockers available on-site to store your luggage, which require a 2 EURO coin to operate. There is another luggage room on level E0, which is free to use but remains unlocked during the conference.

Lost and found

Lost and found items are kept at the registration desk until the end of the conference.

EMBL merchandise

If you are interested in purchasing EMBL merchandise (products presented in the glass display in the registration area), please email the EMBL shop to place an order.

Kindly note the EMBL shop is only open upon request and all purchases must be made in cash (Euros only).

Nursing room

There is a nursing room available in the ATC Rooftop Lounge on level A29.

Room for prayers, meditation, and yoga

There is a room for prayer, yoga, and meditation, located on level E0 behind the Auditorium. Please be respectful of others using the room.

EMBL campus map

Health and safety notes

Please take a moment to read our health and safety policy.

  • Do not smoke in any EMBL building
  • Eating and drinking is prohibited in the auditorium and all laboratories
  • Do not enter any restricted areas or the laboratories unless instructed to do so

If first aid is required

  • The first aid room is located next to the ATC registration desk (room 10- 205)
  • Dial the emergency number 222 from any EMBL internal phone only
  • Be prepared to answer the following questions: where is the accident? What happened? How many injured?
  • Emergency number 06221 387 7821 from mobile phones
  • Please report all accidents at the registration desk

In case of fire

  • Press the nearest fire alarm button or the emergency number 222 from any internal phone
  • A loud fire alarm will go off if an evacuation is required. On hearing the alarm, leave the building immediately following the escape route and fire wardens and head to one of the meeting points
  • Do not use the lifts

Beyond first aid

The Heidelberg University Hospital or ‘Universitätsklinikum‘ has a 24 hour accident and emergency facility and is at ‘Im Neuenheimer Feld 672’. It is a 8 km or a 20 minute taxi ride away from EMBL. In a medical emergency, the ambulance service generally transports patients to this hospital.

Please remember to bring your own medication. Note that the next pharmacy is a 4 minute drive from the EMBL, but for many medications you need a prescription.

Ensure in advance that your medical insurance will cover you during your visit in the event that you do need to see a doctor while in Heidelberg.

The EMBL course and conference office team are able to advise you on where to turn for emergency or non-emergency medical treatment in Heidelberg and can assist you in making appointments and/or arranging transport to get to the pharmacy or a doctor of your choice if necessary. Please note, we are not however permitted to personally accompany you off-campus.

Sightseeing

A variety of activities in Heidelberg can be found on the website of Heidelberg Marketing.

Event platform

Access

Access to the event platform is given to all on-site and virtual participants.

You can use the event platform to:

  • Access to all the livestreamed talks
  • Opportunity to submit questions (for virtual participants)
  • Video library of the recorded talks during the event and for four weeks afterwards. Please note: at the request of individual speakers, some talks are not recorded
  • Access to the abstract book
  • Opportunity to engage with speakers and other participants via the discussion area and chat functionality
  • Other useful information (how to give a good scientific talk, or to make a good scientific poster, and more)

More information about the platform will be shared ahead of the conference.

Guidelines

  • Please do not share the link to the conference platform with anyone
  • Do not broadcast the conference to unregistered participants
  • You are encouraged to post about the event, unless the speaker specifically says otherwise. Be mindful of unpublished data
  • Please do not capture, transmit, or redistribute data presented at the meeting

Additional information can be found in our Code of Conduct.

Time zone

The programme is planned based on the Europe/Berlin time zone, unless otherwise stated. Please take your time zone into consideration when planning your attendance.

Additional information

Please find additional information including FAQs, terms and conditions, and travelling to EMBL on our Information for participants page.

Sponsors

Sponsorship opportunities

We offer a variety of event sponsoring possibilities, with the flexibility to select a set sponsorship package or combine individual sponsorship options to suit your event budget. Discounts are available for companies sponsoring multiple events at EMBL Heidelberg. View other conferences, or contact sponsorship@embl.de for further information on sponsoring possibilities.

If you are interested in becoming a media partner of this event, please visit our media partnerships webpage.

Warning

EMBL wishes to warn sponsors of EMBL conferences and courses of fraudulent schemes purporting to offer sponsorship opportunities on behalf of EMBL or affiliated with EMBL officials. One current scam campaign of which we are aware is conducted using the name ‘Judy Eastman’ (judy@gopcontact.a2hosted.com) and entails approaches to sponsors offering sponsorship opportunities on EMBL’s behalf. Please be kindly advised that all relevant communication regarding sponsorship of EMBL conferences, symposia and courses is handled by EMBL directly and is sent from an official EMBL account. EMBL does not work with any external providers on sponsorship acquisition.

Please also note that:

  • EMBL never provides attendee lists for purchase. Any offers of such are fraudulent.
  • EMBL will never call or email you to ask for your credit card details or to request a payment.
  • All payments are on invoice.

Suspicious communications purportedly from, for or on behalf of EMBL should be reported to EMBL at the following email address sponsorship@embl.de.

Media Kit

Want to let others know you’re attending this event? Take a look at our shareable media and feel free to use them in your social media channels or presentations.

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Date: 16 - 19 Feb 2026

Location: EMBL Heidelberg and Virtual

Venue: EMBL Advanced Training Centre


Deadline(s):

Abstract submission: 15 Oct 2025

Registration (On-site): 5 Jan 2026

Registration (Virtual): 9 Feb 2026


Organisers:

  • Johannes Backs
    Heidelberg University, Germany

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