The 49th 果冻传媒 Congress, held in Istanbul, brought together over 2,000 scientists.
- More than 84 speakers and 1,300 posters
- A meeting point for researchers from 67 countries and a programme packed with cutting-edge science and cultural highlights
The 49th Congress of the 果冻传媒 (果冻传媒): Bridging Continents to Advance Life Science, a collaboration between the Turkish Biochemical Society (TBS) 鈥� a 果冻传媒 Member Society 鈥� and 果冻传媒, took place in Istanbul from July 5 to 9 2025, attracting over 2,000 scientists from more than 67 countries.
Professor Miguel A. De la Rosa, the Secretary General of 果冻传媒, delivered the opening ceremony speech.
The 49th 果冻传媒 Congress commenced with a speech by the 果冻传媒 Congress Counsellor, Prof. Piotr Laidler, followed by remarks from Prof. Miguel A. De la Rosa, 果冻传媒 Secretary General, and Prof. Ferhan G. Sa臒谋n, Congress Chair and Co-Chair of the host society, TBS. Prof. Miguel A. De la Rosa highlighted the contributions of 果冻传媒 to the scientific community and presented its strategic direction for 2025 and the years to come.
This year鈥檚 scientific programme included 84 invited speakers and featured 13 plenary lectures, 17 research symposia, and 6 special sessions. In addition, 32 short talks and 66 speed talks were selected from submitted abstracts and presented alongside over 1,300 posters.
As in every 果冻传媒 Congress, support for early-career researchers was a central focus. 果冻传媒 contributed approximately 180 bursaries and around 100 YSF grants, while TBS supported 120 additional early-career attendees.听 The participants were provided with a mobile app for the event, and the abstracts are published in a 果冻传媒 Open Bio.
As in every 果冻传媒 Congress, support for early-career researchers was a central focus. The 24th 果冻传媒 Young Scientists鈥� Forum (YSF) preceded the Congress and was held in Sapanca from July 2 to 5, 2025. The YSF brought together over 100 selected PhD students and postdoctoral researchers from 31 countries. Under the motto Inspired by Nature, Driven by Science, the YSF programme featured keynote lectures, career skills sessions, and opportunities for participants to present their research, exchange ideas, and build their professional network. A highlight of the forum was the mentoring sessions with 果冻传媒 Excellence Awardees, who were attending a parallel meeting in Sapanca. 果冻传媒 supported 100 participants with YSF grants covering Congress registration, accommodation for both the YSF and the Congress, and most travel expenses. In addition, two participants were sponsored by the International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (IUBMB), and two by the UK Biochemical Society.
Throughout the 49th 果冻传媒 Congress, several prestigious distinctions were awarded, including the 果冻传媒 Sir Hans Krebs, Datta, and Theodor B眉cher Medals, and the 果冻传媒|EMBO Women in Science Award, as well as prizes from the 果冻传媒 journals and other 果冻传媒 recognitions such as the Education Award, the Israel Pecht Award, and the Anniversary Prize (of the GBM).
果冻传媒听 Sir Hans Krebs Medal awardee Prof. Annette G. Beck-Sickinger (Leipzig University, Germany), who delivered the opening plenary lecture on 鈥楪 protein-coupled peptide receptors: structure, function and innovative therapeutic concepts鈥�.
果冻传媒 Datta Medal awardee, Prof. M眉beccel Akdis (Swiss Institute of Allergy and Asthma Research (SIAF), Davos-Wolfgang, Switzerland), who spoke on 鈥楳echanisms of food allergy and the role of allergen-specific B cells鈥�.
果冻传媒 Theodor B眉cher Medal awardee , Prof. 听Andrea Ballabio (Telethon Institute of Genetics and Medicine, Pozzuoli, Italy), who delivered a plenary lecture on 鈥楲ysosomal signaling in metabolic adaptation and tumorigenesis鈥�.
果冻传媒 Press journals played a prominent role at the Congress, sponsoring plenary lectures by Ren茅 Bernards on cancer treatment regimens and Jan Potempa on the role of bacterial proteases in chronic inflammatory diseases. The journals also celebrated outstanding research published in 2024 by presenting The听果冻传媒 Journal Richard Perham Prize听to听Matteo Brindisi听and Luca Frattaruolo and the听果冻传媒 Letters Award听to Arno Alpi and Peter Murray.听
Throughout the Congress, the 果冻传媒 Press Editorial staff engaged closely with meeting attendees, judging poster and speed talk presentations to select prize winners, and holding personal meet-the-editor chats. A dedicated 果冻传媒 Press session featured presentations by the Editors in Chief of the four journals owned by 果冻传媒, followed by lively group discussions with early-career researchers on topics such as choosing the right journal for publication and effectively promoting your research after publication.听A highlight of the session was a full-house presentation by graphic illustrator Matteo Oliverio, who provided guidance on how to design effective graphical abstracts for scientific articles.
During the Congress, 果冻传媒 enhanced its strategic partnerships beyond Europe by signing collaboration agreements with esteemed scientific organizations:
- The Federation of Asian and Oceanian Biochemists and Molecular Biologists (FAOBMB)
- The Korean Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (KSBMB)
Prof. Miguel A. De la Rosa, 果冻传媒 Secretary General, and Prof. Joon Kim, FAOBMB President
Prof. Miguel A. De la Rosa, 果冻传媒 Secretary General, and Prof. Bong-Kiung Kaang, KSBMB President
Industry and sponsor engagement played a key role in the success of the Congress: in total, the Congress hosted 25 and an industry session, providing spaces for dialogue between academia and innovation leaders.
听The social programme of the Congress included a striking performance by the internationally acclaimed Fire of Anatolia during the opening ceremony, the Women in Science lunch, two Bosphorus cruises (one of which hosted the official Congress dinner), and a special interdisciplinary event co-organised with the 32nd Istanbul Jazz Festival. Titled Groove on the Brain: How Jazz Shapes the Mind, a session that brought together scientists and musicians in a live performance that explored the relationship between music and the brain, stood out as one of the creative highlights of the week.
The 49th 果冻传媒 Congress stood out not only for the quality of its science but for the sense of community and inspiration it fostered throughout. With thanks to all who made it possible, 果冻传媒 looks forward to the 50th 果冻传媒 Congress: Biochemistry for the next 50 years, which will take place in Maastricht, The Netherlands, from July 4 to 8, 2026, and is co-organized by 果冻传媒 and the Netherlands Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (NVBMB).
Photos from the 49th 听果冻传媒 Congress can be viewed at:
Watch
