Biomembrane Days 2025:
Unveiling How Membranes Shape Life—from Cells to Synthetic Systems
The 6th edition of the Biomembrane Days took place from 29 September to 1 October continuing its tradition as a highly anticipated triennial meeting that brings together researchers from biophysics, biology, and chemistry. Biomembranes—thin lipid bilayers with embedded proteins—are fundamental to life, forming the boundaries of cells and their internal compartments. They not only separate and protect but also serve as dynamic platforms for transport, signaling, and energy conversion, making them central to countless biological processes.
The Biomembrane Days 2025 conference highlighted recent advances in understanding the structure, dynamics, and function of biological and synthetic membranes, with sessions on cell and organelle interactions, giant vesicles as synthetic cell systems, membrane protein function, and active cellular processes.
“Biomembranes are as simple as they are complex to study,” says Rumiana Dimova, organizer and head of the Biophysics Lab. “Conventional molecular biology tools often fall short of grasping their intricacies, so it is crucial to integrate experts in microscopy, spectroscopy, synthetic biology, and chemistry.”
More than 200 participants from 19 countries gathered at the Harnack Haus in Berlin for this year’s Biomembrane Days. The conference reached full capacity, with a long waiting list—underscoring its growing international visibility and significance in the field. Organizers Rumiana Dimova and Thomas Weikl (Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces) together with Helge Ewers (Free University of Berlin) are confident that the event will once again inspire new ideas and foster collaborations across the global membrane research community.
“The conference has always been dedicated to providing opportunities for early-career scientists. This year, we had the pleasure of welcoming PhD fellows from two doctoral networks on synthetic biology - ComeInCell and SigSynCell,” adds Rafaela Keller, project manager of the MSCA Doctoral Network ComeInCell and organizational all-rounder for the event.
