Autophagy allows cells to specifically target and remove damaged organelles, misfolded proteins, and intracellular pathogens. It is no surprise, therefore, that autophagy dysregulation has been linked to a wide range of diseases, such as cancer, neurodegenerative disorders, metabolic disorders, and infections. However, further research is needed to fully understand the precise roles and mechanisms that autophagy plays in different disease contexts and its potential as a therapeutic target.

This meeting will explore these gaps in knowledge, showcasing ongoing basic research advances, but also translational insights and industry developments in the field. This integration of academic and industry research in autophagy is a novel aspect of this meeting, intending to catalyze cross-disciplinary insights and collaborations that will accelerate advances and clinical impacts.  In addition, the program will highlight novel tools and strategies to study and target autophagy in laboratory and clinical contexts to provide attendees with new capabilities to pursue unresolved questions.

This meeting will be held jointly with the Keystone Symposium on “Membrane Dynamics, Repair and Disease” to enable cross-talk between these two fields and drive better understanding of mechanistic processes and regulation of autophagy.