Cellular Evolution and Symbiosis Researchers to Gather in Ostrava
Nearly ninety scientists from four continents will gather in Ostrava from September 14 to 18 for the international conference “The 16th Colloquium of Endocytobiology and Symbiosis,” also known as ISE 2026. The conference will focus on research into the origins of the complex cells of plants and animals, the transformation of originally free-living microorganisms into cellular organelles, and the close associations between extant organisms and bacteria and viruses.
This is the latest in a series of meetings held every three years at different locations around the world under the auspices of the International Society of Endocytobiology. This year, the event is being organized by a team from the Department of Biology and Ecology at the Faculty of Science, University of Ostrava, led by Marek Eliáš.
Conference topics include the evolution of eukaryotic cells, the origin and evolution of organelles, genome evolution, and relationships between host organisms and their endosymbionts or viruses.
Participants in ISE 2026 include scientists whose work has had a major impact on our current understanding of biology. Among them are Eugene V. Koonin of the National Institutes of Health in the United States, a leading expert in evolutionary genomics and virology; Geoffrey I. McFadden of the University of Melbourne in Australia, whose research revealed the existence of a previously unknown organelle in the cells of the malaria parasite; and Jana Milucka of the Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology in Bremen, Germany, an outstanding expert in microbial ecology.
They will be joined by scientists from the University of Cambridge, the DOE Joint Genome Institute in California, the Gregor Mendel Institute in Vienna, the University of Tsukuba in Japan, Dalhousie University in Canada, and numerous other international institutions, as well as colleagues from Charles University in Prague and the Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences.
The program includes four special components. At the heart of the meeting there will be a symposium on (endo)symbiosis sponsored by the U.S.-based Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation (GBMF). This support has made it possible to invite a number of leading international speakers, including those mentioned above.
Two further highlights of the ISE 2026 program are described by the conference′s main organizer, Marek Eliáš:
“During the colloquium, we will commemorate two prominent figures in our field through special mini-symposia. In addition to the recently deceased Canadian biologist Michael (‘Mike’) Gray, we will remember Professor Karel Šulc, who worked as a physician in the Ostrava region from 1900 to 1921 while also conducting research into the microanatomy of insects. His work led him to discover the existence of insect endosymbionts, making him one of the pioneers of endocytobiology. He was later nominated for the Nobel Prize twice, and a bacterium, Karelsulcia, which lives as an endosymbiont in leafhoppers, was named after him.”
At the initiative of Professor Eliáš, a commemorative sculpture honouring Karel Šulc and his work will also be unveiled on Thursday, September 17, at 6:00 p.m. in front of the Faculty of Science building in Hladnov, in connection with the aforementioned mini-symposium. The artwork was created by Jaroslav Koléšek and Martin Mydlarčík from the Department of Sculpture at the Faculty of Arts, University of Ostrava.
The ISE 2026 program will also include the presentation of the Miescher-Ishida Award, which has been awarded by the International Society of Endocytobiology since 1986. Its first recipient was the renowned Lynn Margulis, the author of the modern version of the endosymbiotic theory of the origin of the eukaryotic cell. This year′s award will go to German scientist Prof. Eva C. M. Nowack of Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, whose work has made significant contributions to our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying several model endosymbiotic systems. Among other collaborations, she works closely with the team of Prof. Vyacheslav Yurchenko at the Faculty of Science, University of Ostrava.
“As part of the meeting, we will also do a little traveling. We will visit Michal Coalmine in the Michálkovice district of Ostrava, where Karel Šulc lived, worked, and conducted his research at the beginning of the 20th century, as well as the birthplace of Gregor Johann Mendel in Hynčice near Odry — a ‘place of pilgrimage’ for every biologist,” adds Prof. Eliáš.
The conference also provides a platform for the next generation of scientists, with awards for the best student and early-career presentations to be presented at the conclusion of the event.
The conference′s rich scientific and social program would not be possible without financial support from a number of organizations. In addition to the Faculty of Science, University of Ostrava and the aforementioned GBMF, support has also been provided by the U.K.-based Company of Biologists, the City of Ostrava, and several commercial partners.
More information: ISE 2026 – official conference website
Updated: 15. 09. 2026
