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Mitochondria are not just the cell’s powerhouse, they are the dynamic interface between life, energy, and disease.
Credit: @WMS
The 16th World Congress on Targeting Mitochondria 2025, organized by the World Mitochondria Society (WMS), will open in Berlin next week.
📅 October 22–24, 2025 – Berlin, Germany
🔗 www.wms-site.com
A Dynamic Revolution in Medicine
The 16th World Congress on Targeting Mitochondria 2025, organized by the World Mitochondria Society (WMS), will open in Berlin next week, uniting the global scientific and medical community to explore one central idea:
Mitochondria are not just the cell’s powerhouse — they are the dynamic interface between life, energy, and disease.
“It is a dynamic revolution in how we understand and treat diseases, moving from static to truly systemic medicine,” Volkmar Weissig & Marvin Edeas, Chairs of the Scientific Committee.
The Science: From Mechanism to Medicine
This year’s program bridges the molecular heart of mitochondria with real-world clinical applications — from biogenesis and dynamics to transplantation and therapeutic design.
Strategic Scientific Topics
1. Mitochondria and the Meaning of Life
Nick Lane (University College London, UK) opens the congress with a journey into the evolutionary origins of mitochondria and the fundamental question of how energy shaped life.
2. Mitochondrial Dynamics & Remodeling
Tatjana Kleele (ETH Zurich, Switzerland) and Marc Germain (Université du Québec, Canada) explore how actin and inner membrane dynamics sculpt mitochondrial architecture — redefining organelle plasticity in health and disease.
3. Metabolic Control & Mitoribosomes
Joanna Rorbach (Karolinska Institutet, Sweden) and Edmund Kunji (University of Cambridge, UK) reveal how mitoribosomes and mitochondrial carriers orchestrate cellular homeostasis and metabolic therapies.
4. Mitochondria as a Therapeutic Target
Volkmar Weissig (Midwestern University, USA) and Kosuke Kusamori (Tokyo University of Science, Japan) present the latest therapeutic strategies — from mitochondria-specific drugs to nanocarriers and organelle transplantation.
5. Transferring Power: Mitochondria as Medicine
Luca Gattinoni (Leibniz Institute for Immunotherapy, Germany) and Andrés Caicedo (Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Ecuador) showcase how intercellular mitochondrial transfer can restore immune and tissue function.
6. Emerging Systems & Synthetic Biology
Alessandro Prigione (Heinrich Heine University, Germany) introduces brain organoids for mitochondrial drug discovery, while Alessandro Morelli (University of Genoa, Italy) challenges classical concepts with ATP synthesis outside mitochondria.
The New Era: Dynamic, Systemic, and Precise
The meeting highlights how mitochondria act as biological sensors and decision-makers, translating environmental, metabolic, and microbial signals into cellular fate.
At the frontier of precision diagnostics and targeted therapy, mitochondria emerge as the unifying target for neurology, oncology, metabolic, and immune diseases.
“We are now learning that mitochondria don’t only fuel life but they define it”
Marvin Edeas, WMS Founder, Université de Paris, INSERM U1016.
Beyond the Conference: A Living Network
Over three days, participants will exchange with leading experts from academia, biotech, pharma, and diagnostics, alongside rising innovators and start-ups shaping the future of mitochondrial medicine.
The congress will close with a high-level debate, “Key Questions & What’s Next?” and the Targeting Mitochondria Awards 2025 recognizing outstanding scientific contributions.
About the World Mitochondria Society
The World Mitochondria Society is a global network dedicated to advancing mitochondrial science and translating it into clinical applications for precision medicine, longevity, and systemic health.