Anna Pyle
Yale University School of Medicine
USA
EMBL-KAUST Conference
This conference will take place at EMBL Heidelberg, with the option to attend virtually and is organised by EMBL with the support of the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Saudi Arabia.
Based on recent methodological breakthroughs, the number of identified mammalian RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) has skyrocketed from around 700 to over 2000. More importantly, completely new classes of proteins (including enzymes, signaling molecules, transporters and channels etc.) were recognized as RBPs, posing questions regarding the biological functions of RNA binding.
This, the second edition of this meeting will again convene leaders in the field of RBPs – classical and newly discovered – to discuss exciting progress on all fronts, from posttranscriptional regulation of RNA expression to the riboregulation of protein functions, facilitated by rapidly emerging experimental technologies and data analysis tools. Discussion topics will range from structural work over cell biology, including RBP-containing ‘membraneless organelles’, metabolism and progress regarding human diseases. The methodological spectrum will be equally wide, and also include data analysis and AI/modeling approaches.
“This was truly one of the best conferences I’ve attended; the talks were outstanding, leaving me overflowing with fresh ideas for my project, and the insightful feedback on my data presentation was incredibly beneficial!” – Sharon Spizzichino, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy
“The rich and unique selection of speakers provided new insights into all aspects of RBP biology – from single-molecule biophysics, cutting-edge advancements in pull-down and RNA sequencing techniques, to the cell biology of biomolecular condensates. The future for both conventional and unconventional RBPs, along with their intriguing moonlighting functions, does indeed look bright.” – David Kuster, Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics (MPI-CBG), Germany
Yale University School of Medicine
USA
Center for Genomic Regulation (CRG)
Spain
King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Centre
Saudi Arabia
University of Naples Federico II
Italy
German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ)
Germany
Peking University
China
King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST)
Saudi Arabia
Harvard University
USA
Leibniz Institute for Immunotherapy Regensburg
Germany
University of Oxford
UK
University of Rochester Medical Center
USA
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
USA
Toulouse Cancer Research Center
France
Research Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP)
Austria
Max Planck Institute for Heart and Lung Research
Germany
Hubrecht Institute
The Netherlands
Sapienza University of Rome
Italy
King Abdullah University of Science and Technology
Saudi Arabia
EMBL Heidelberg
Germany
Seoul National University
Republic of Korea
Course and Conference Officer
EMBL Heidelberg
Germany
Are you on social media? Post using #EMBLRBP (Event hashtag) and don’t forget to tag @EMBLEvents.
| Time (Berlin/Europe) | Session |
|---|---|
| 15:00 – 16:30 | Registration and light refreshments |
| 16:30 – 16:45 | Opening remarks |
| 16:45 – 17:45 | Keynote lecture I: title to be confirmed Anna Marie Pyle – Yale University, USA |
| 17:45 – 18:15 | Pre-dinner drinks |
| 18:15 – 19:15 | Dinner in the canteen |
| 19:15 – 20:15 | Keynote lecture II: Networks of alternative splicing regulation in cancer Juan Valcárcel Juárez – Center for Genomic Regulation (CRG), Spain |
| 20:15 – 21:30 | After dinner drinks and Pub Quiz in Canteen |
| Time (Berlin/Europe) | Session |
|---|---|
| 09:15 – 12:45 | Session 1: System biology Chair: tbd |
| 09:15 – 09:45 | Invited talk: title to be confirmed Didier Stainier – Max Planck Institute for Heart and Lung Research, Germany |
| 09:45 – 10:00 | Selected short talk #1 |
| 10:00 – 10:15 | Selected short talk #2 |
| 10:15 – 10:30 | Selected short talk #3 |
| 10:30 – 11:00 | Coffee Break and Meet the speakers |
| 11:00 – 11:30 | Invited talk: title to be confirmed Christine Mayr – Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, USA |
| 11:30 – 11:45 | Selected short talk #4 |
| 11:45 – 12:00 | Selected short talk #5 |
| 12:00 – 12:15 | Selected short talk #6 |
| 12:15 – 12:45 | Mechanisms of mRNA processing and packaging Clemens Plaschka – Research Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP), Austria |
| 12:45 – 14:15 | Lunch and Meet the editors |
| 14:15 – 18:00 | Session 2: Structure and function Chair: tbd |
| 14:15 – 14:45 | Invited talk: title to be confirmed Xuemei Chen – Peking University, China |
| 14:45 – 15:00 | Selected short talk #7 |
| 15:00 – 15:15 | Selected short talk #8 |
| 15:15 – 15:30 | Selected short talk #9 |
| 15:30 – 16:00 | Spatial organisation of ribosomal RNA synthesis in bacteria Achillefs N. Kapanidis – University of Oxford, United Kingdom |
| 16:00 – 16:30 | Coffee Break and Meet the speakers |
| 16:30 – 17:00 | RNA G-quadruplex-binding protein in cancer Stefania Millevoi – Toulouse Cancer Research Center, France |
| 17:00 – 17:15 | Selected short talk #10 |
| 17:15 – 17:30 | Selected short talk #11 |
| 17:30 – 17:45 | Selected short talk #12 |
| 17:45 – 18:00 | Flash talk session 1 (3 min, 1 slide) |
| 18:00 – 19:15 | Dinner in the canteen |
| 19:15 – 21:15 | Poster Session 1 (odd numbers) |
| Time (Berlin/Europe) | Session |
|---|---|
| 09:15 – 12:00 | Session 3: Condensates and cellular dynamics Chair: tbd |
| 09:15 – 09:45 | Stress granules: spatial control of stress responses in plants Monika Chodasiewicz – King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Saudi Arabia |
| 09:45 – 10:00 | Selected short talk #13 |
| 10:00 – 10:15 | Selected short talk #14 |
| 10:15 – 10:30 | Selected short talk #15 |
| 10:30 – 11:00 | Coffee Break and Meet the speakers |
| 11:00 – 11:30 | Invited talk: title to be confirmed Marvin Tanenbaum – Hubrecht Institute, The Netherlands |
| 11:30 – 11:45 | Selected short talk #16 |
| 11:45 – 12:00 | Selected short talk #17 |
| 12:00 – 13:30 | Lunch (optional: job fair) |
| 13:30 – 19:00 | Session 4: Diseases and therapeutics Chair: tbd |
| 13:30 – 14:00 | mRNA stability in health and disease Khalid Abu Khabar Alqurashi – King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Centre, Saudi Arabia |
| 14:00 – 14:15 | Selected short talk #18 |
| 14:15 – 14:30 | Selected short talk #19 |
| 14:30 – 15:00 | Rewiring the RBP landscape in ovarian cancer chemoresistance Rosario Avolio – University of Naples Federico II, Italy |
| 15:00 – 15:30 | Coffee Break and Meet the speakers |
| 15:30 – 16:00 | Nonsense-mediated mRNA decay in human health and disease: Reframing the role of FMRP in Fragile X Syndrome Lynne E. Maquat – University of Rochester Medical Center, USA |
| 16:00 – 16:15 | Selected short talk #20 |
| 16:15 – 16:30 | Selected short talk #21 |
| 16:30 – 16:45 | Selected short talk #22 |
| 16:45 – 17:00 | Flash talk session 2 (3 min, 1 slide) |
| 17:00 – 19:00 | Poster Session 2 (even numbers) |
| 19:00 – 20:30 | Conference dinner in the canteen |
| 20:30 – 23:59 | Party |
| Time (Berlin/Europe) | Session |
|---|---|
| 09:30 – 12:30 | Session 5: New directions in RNA-protein interactions Chair: tbd |
| 09:30 – 10:00 | Invited talk: title to be confirmed Maïwen Caudron-Herger – German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Germany |
| 10:00 – 10:15 | Selected short talk #23 |
| 10:15 – 10:30 | Selected short talk #24 |
| 00:00 – 00:30 | Selected short talk #25 |
| 10:30 – 10:45 | Functional roles of cell surface ribonucleoproteins Ryan Flynn – Harvard University, USA |
| 10:45 – 11:15 | Coffee Break and Meet the speakers |
| 11:15 – 11:45 | RNA as a social molecule – connecting codes, caps & proteins Katharina Höfer – Philipps University of Marburg, Germany |
| 11:45 – 12:00 | Selected short talk #26 |
| 12:00 – 12:15 | Selected short talk #27 |
| 12:15 – 12:30 | Selected short talk #28 |
| 12:30 – 12:45 | Closing remarks and poster prize announcements |
| 12:45 – 13:15 | Packed lunch and departure |
| 13:15 | Airport shuttle to Frankfurt Airport Terminal 1 |
| 13:30 | Bus downtown |
Accommodation and travel are not included in the fees — participants are expected to book and pay their own expenses.
| On-site Academia | €725 |
| On-site PhD Student | €625 |
| On-site Industry | €1025 |
| 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. Please contact Jules Nohle to ask for the special registration link for editors.
| Virtual Academia | €240 |
| Virtual PhD Student | €190 |
| Virtual Industry | €290 |
Registration will be on a first come, first served basis. You can register and submit your abstract without paying the conference fee in advance but 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.
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.
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.
The selection process will take place with the results announced by email to all applicants / submitters. We aim to announce 3 weeks (21 days) after the abstract submission deadline but delays may occur.
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.
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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 after the abstract submission deadline (delays might occur).
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.
Limited financial assistance is provided by the EMBL Advanced Training Centre Corporate Partnership Programme 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.
The fee waiver will cover the registration sum that you have paid to attend the conference.
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:
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. Receipts must be provided via email with your signature for all costs incurred within two months of completion of travel.
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. You may apply for a childcare grant at the same time when submitting your abstract. There is a limited amount of funding available for the childcare grants and funds will be distributed amongst eligible applicants.
You may apply for financial assistance when submitting your abstract. After finishing the registration you will receive an email with a link to apply for financial assistance.
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 influence the outcome of your registration application.
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 as a virtual participant.
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 influence the outcome of your registration application.
The scientific organisers will select the recipients of grant allocations during the abstract selection process. The allocations will be announced after the abstract selection results.
Grant allocation results do not impact your admission to the meeting. The selection 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.
Please note that for childcare grants, priority will be given to early-stage researchers.
Costs will be reimbursed after the meeting only once a reimbursement form and original receipts (from travel costs) have been received.
View our list of external funding opportunities or refer to the FAQ page.
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If you are travelling to Heidelberg via aeroplane, train, car, or long-distance bus, you can find useful information on our travel information page.
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 15 February 2027, in some cases at special rates. Please email the hotel directly, quoting the booking code RBP27-01 to confirm the exact price of the room.
| Aparthotel Adagio Heidelberg Click to contact the hotel directly | Hotel Holländer Hof Click to contact the hotel directly | Meininger Heidelberg Click to contact the hotel directly (use code: EMBL2026) |
| Hotel Anlage Click to contact the hotel directly | Hotel ibis Heidelberg Click to contact the hotel directly | Premier Inn Heidelberg City Zentrum Click to contact the hotel directly |
| Hotel Bayrischer Hof Click to contact the hotel directly | InterCity Hotel Heidelberg Click to contact the hotel directly | Staycity Aparthotel Heidelberg Click to contact the hotel directly |
| B&B Hotel Click to contact the hotel directly | ISG Hotel Click to contact the hotel directly | Steffi’s Hostel Heidelberg Click here to contact the hotel directly |
| The Heidelberg Exzellenz Hotel Click to contact the hotel directly | Leonardo Hotel Heidelberg City Centre Click to contact the hotel directly | Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten Heidelberg Click to contact the hotel directly |
| Hilton Heidelberg Click to contact the hotel directly | Lotte The Backpackers Click to contact the hostel directly |
Please note that as of 1 October 2025, Heidelberg City Council is introducing an overnight stay tax for tourists visiting Heidelberg (including work related trips). The cost will be 3.50 EUR per night for the first five nights of a consecutive stay and will be added to the hotel’s nightly rate. Please contact the individual hotel directly if you have any questions.
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:
View Conference shuttle bus stops and hotels in a larger map. Please note that some bus stops may not be used for this event.
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, please refer to the local transportation (RNV) website.
Address: EMBL, Meyerhofstraße 1, 69117 Heidelberg, Germany.
For more information about travel and accommodation, please refer to the FAQ page.
Here you will find useful information for when you are onsite at the event.
All meals and coffee breaks as indicated in the programme 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 items are kept at the registration desk until the end of the conference.
There is a nursing room available in the ATC Rooftop Lounge on level A29.
There is a room for prayer, yoga, and meditation, located on level E0 behind the Auditorium. Please be respectful of others using the room.

Please take a moment to read our health and safety policy.
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.
A variety of activities in Heidelberg can be found on the website of Heidelberg Marketing.
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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.
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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.org for further information on sponsoring possibilities.
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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.
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Date: 15 - 18 Mar 2027
Location: EMBL Heidelberg and Virtual
Venue: EMBL Advanced Training Centre
Deadline(s):
Abstract submission: 6 Dec 2026
Registration (On-site): 1 Feb 2027
Registration (Virtual): 8 Mar 2027
Organisers:
Contact: Jules Nohle
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