WMS 2026 Agenda

Mitochondria remind us that medicine cannot stay static in a complex world. They invite a dynamic approach where energy, biology, and artificial intelligence converge to treat disease, prevent illness, and support healthy longevity.

From Discovery to Therapy. From Mechanisms to Medicine

Key Dates of 2026

Among the WMS Speakers 2026

KEYNOTE - From Mitochondrial Discovery to Approved Therapy: Lessons for the Future of MedicineHazel Szeto, Weill Medical College of Cornell University, USA

From Energy to Signaling: Tracking Early Mitochondrial Distress with PET to Predict Trajectories from Normal Brain Aging to Neurodegenerative DiseaseMeagan McManus, University of Arizona College of Medicine, USA

Mitochondrial transfer from glial cells to neurons confers protection against peripheral neuropathyRu-Rong Ji, Duke University School of Medicine, USA

Building on the Foundation of Four: Advancing Mitochondrial Targeted Geropeptide MedicineKevin Slawin, Eos SENOLYTIX, USA

Mitochondrial Quality Control in Oligodendrocyte Life and DeathRobert A. Hill, Dartmouth College, USA

Mitochondrial Diversity and Plasticity Across Cells and Tissues: From Functional Specialization to Disease VulnerabilityAnna Monzel, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, USA

Is Alzheimer’s Disease a Mitochondrial Resilience Disorder Before It Becomes a Proteinopathy?Benedict Albensi, Nova Southeastern University, USA

From Mitochondrial Pathology to Precision Diagnosis: Lessons from the Newcastle Mitochondrial Disease Program Robert Taylor, Newcastle University, UK

Who Controls NAD⁺? Mitochondria as Gatekeepers of Cellular Metabolism and Therapeutic ResponseMathias Ziegler, University of Bergen, Norway

Transplantation of encapsulated mitochondria alleviates dysfunction in mitochondrial disease modelsXingguo Liu, Guangzhou Medical University, China

Damage-Sensing in Mitochondrial Disorders: From Mitophagy to the Integrated Stress ResponseDerek Narendra, National Institutes of Health, USA

Mitochondria Function Evaluation: Workshop Highlights, Methods, Discrepancies, and RecommendationsNaig Gueguen, CHU Angers, France

Programmable Mitochondria: Rewiring Brain Bioenergetics to Restore Cognition.Étienne Hébert Chatelain, Université de Moncton, Canada

Cell-Type-Targeted Mitochondrial Transfer TherapyBotond Roska & Temurkhan Ayupov, Institute of Molecular and Clinical Ophthalmology IOB, Switzerland

The Mitochondria–Lysosome Axis: A New Dimension in Cellular Resilience and DiseaseJiajie Diao, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, USA

Mitochondrial Complexome Profiling: A New Diagnostic and Mechanistic Window into Respiratory Chain Disease.Ilka Wittig, Goethe University, Germany

Intercellular Mitochondrial Transfer in Tauopathies: Mechanisms and Therapeutic PerspectivesAmandine Grimm, University of Basel, Swizerland

From Powerhouse to Prescription: Hazel H. Szeto Joins the WMS As KEYNOTE Speaker

From Powerhouse to Prescription: Dr. Hazel Szeto Joins the WMS Annual Meeting 2026 as KEYNOTE Speaker. We are proud to announce that Hazel H. Szeto has accepted our invitation to join the WMS Annual Meeting – Targeting Mitochondria 2026, taking place in Berlin on October 21–23, 2026. Dr. Szeto is internationally recognized for pioneering mitochondria-targeted therapeutics and for helping transform mitochondrial science into real medicine. Her work contributed to one of the first FDA-approved mitochondria-targeted therapies a historic milestone for the field.

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Short Oral Accepted 2026

Targeting Mitochondrial Malic Enzymes in Cancer Metabolism
Ben Krinkel, University of Auckland, New Zealand

Near Infrared Radiation Disrupts Mitochondrial Iron Homeostasis and Bioenergetics: Protection by Chlorogenic and Rosmarinic Acids
Batool Albadaineh, University of Bath, UK

A Structural Framework for Interpreting Mitochondrial rRNA Variation in Cancer
Antón Vila Sanjurjo, University of A Coruña, Spain

Inhibition of Mitochondrial Fission Factor (MFF) Attenuates Pathological Mitochondrial Fission and Proliferative Phenotypes in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension
Jaskaran Singh Hora, Queen's University, Canada

Impacts of Barth Syndrome on Survival and Disease Progression
Lindsay Marjoram, Barth Syndrome Foundation, USA

Mitochondria and Exosomes Intercellular Co-transfer via Annular Gap Junction Vesicle in Human Glioblastoma Stem Cells Niche
Gabriel Arismendi-Morillo, University of Deusto, Spain

FADS2 Determines the Mitochondrial Lipidomic Landscape and Steroidogenic Function of Adrenocortical Cells
Vasileia Ismini Alexaki, TU Dresden, Germany

Tuning Stem Cell Lineage Commitment Through PBM-Induced Mitochondrial Remodeling
Michael Cho, University of Texas at Arlington, USA

TRPC6-Driven Mitochondrial Calcium Overload: A Novel Druggable Axis Linking Growth Hormone Signaling to Podocyte Bioenergetic Collapse in Diabetic Nephropathy
Sumathi Raviraj, University of Hyderabad, India

Structural Conservation Among Mitochondrial and Non-Mitochondrial Drug Targets Reveals Determinants of Off-Target Liabilities and Selective Ligand Discovery
Ciro Leonardo Pierri, University of Bari, Italy

Who is Attending Targeting Mitochondria 2026

Aarhus University, Denmark
Albstadt-Sigmaringen University of Applied Sciences, Germany
Archer Lab, Canada
Biomedical Research Center of Slovak Academy of Sciences, Slovakia
Charles University, Czech Republic
Zhejiang University School of Medicine, China
CIC biomaGUNE, Spain
Comenius University in Bratislava, Slovakia
Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Italy
Dresden University of Technology, Germany
F. Hoffmann-La Roche, Switzerland
Fundación García Cugat, Spain
GSK (GlaxoSmithKline), UK
Hanyang University, South Korea
Hochschule Albstadt-Sigmaringen, Germany
HUN REN Institute of Experimental Medicine, Hungary
IDI IRCSS, Italy
IMCB / A*STAR, Singapore
Independant Student, United States
Independent Researcher, Singapore
INSERM UMR 1260, France
Institute for Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine, Germany
Instituto Cugat, Spain
Jagiellonian University, Poland
Karolinska Institutet, Sweden
Kocaeli University, Turkey
Lunella Biotech, Canada
Luxembourg Institute of Health, Luxembourg
Marburg University, Germany
Medical School, Greece
Mighto Therapeutics, Germany
Miphic, Norway
Mitolab Lab, Kazakhstan
MygoGenesis, LLC, USA
National Institute of Cardiology Ignacio Chavez, Mexico
Paul Flechsig Institute of Brain Research, Germany
Rigshospitalet, Kennedy Centret, Denmark
Seoul National University, South Korea
Stapgen LLC, United States
St Jude Childrens Hospital, United States
Tufts University, United States
Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico
Università degli Studi di Milano, Italy
Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, Italy
Université de Montréal, Canada
Universitätsklinikum Düsseldorf, Germany
University Albstadt-Sigmaringen, Germany
University at Buffalo, United States
University College London, United Kingdom
University of Arkansas, United States
University of Bari Aldo Moro, Italy
University of Basel, Switzerland
University of Bath, Switzerland
University of Bath, United Kingdom
University of Bristol, United Kingdom
University of Chieti-Pescara, Italy
University of Florida, USA
University of Innsbruck, Austria
University of Manchester, United Kingdom
University of Milano-Bicocca, Italy
University of Texas at Arlington, United States
Wayne State University School of Medicine, United States
Wellness Plan MD, Ltd, United States
XONE Precision Medicine, Canada
Yamaguchi University Graduate School of Medicine, Japan

Updated till 7th July, 2026...

Best Image Award

Best Scientific Image Award 2026: Show the World Your Mitochondrial Discovery

Can a single image change the way we see mitochondrial biology?

The World Mitochondria Society (WMS) is pleased to announce the opening of submissions for the Best Scientific Image Award 2026, an international competition celebrating the most outstanding scientific images in mitochondrial research.

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