Sphingolipids were once viewed primarily as structural components of cellular membranes. Today, they are recognized as active organizers of cellular architecture and function: shaping membrane properties, controlling lipid asymmetry and trafficking, coordinating communication between organelles, integrating metabolic and environmental signals, and influencing cellular fate. At the same time, new technologies are allowing us to observe this complex landscape with unprecedented precision. Advances in lipidomics, spatial mass spectrometry, chemical biology, biosensors, and high-resolution imaging are revealing compartment-specific sphingolipid pools, dynamic metabolic fluxes, and regulatory mechanisms that were previously inaccessible, opening new opportunities to understand their roles in physiology and pathology.

Against this exciting scientific background, we are pleased to announce the 4th FEBS Special Meeting on Sphingolipid Biology. This conference is focused on understanding Sphingolipids as Architects of Cellular Landscapes, and will take place from 6–11 June 2027, in the beautiful village of Peniche, in Portugal. The meeting is co-organized by Liana C. Silva from Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Lisbon, Portugal, Christopher Clarke from Stony Brook University, USA, and Giovanni D’Angelo from EPFL, Switzerland.

From mapping sphingolipids to understanding cellular architecture

The scientific programme is organized into six interconnected thematic sessions that reflect both the conceptual foundations and emerging directions of modern sphingolipid biology:

• Session 1. Mapping the Invisible: The Molecular and Analytical Toolbox for Sphingolipid Biology, chaired by Rosário Domingues, University of Aveiro, Portugal
• Session 2. Membrane Landscapes: Shaping Lipid Asymmetry and Trafficking, chaired by Noemi Jimenez-Rojo, University of Basque Country, Spain
• Session 3. At the Interfaces: Designing Cellular Architecture with Sphingolipids, chaired by Stefka Spassieva, University of Kentucky, USA
• Session 4. Metabolic Circuitry: How Sphingolipids Encode Cellular Decisions, chaired by Paola Signorelli, University of Milan, Italy
• Session 5. When Circuits Break: Sphingolipids in Disease and Therapy, chaired by Bruno Segui, Toulouse University, France
• Session 6. Beyond the Circuit: The Sphingolipidome at the Edge of Discovery, chaired by Tony Futerman, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel

These sessions will guide participants from the technologies used to identify, quantify, and visualize sphingolipids to their roles in membrane organization, organelle communication, metabolic regulation, cellular decision-making, and disease. The meeting programme will begin by mapping the invisible, exploring the molecular, analytical, and imaging tools transforming sphingolipid research. It will then move through how sphingolipids shape dynamic membrane landscapes, regulate asymmetry and trafficking, and coordinate communication across membrane and organelle interfaces, and how sphingolipid metabolism acts as cellular circuitry, translating metabolic and stress signals into biological decisions. These mechanistic perspectives will lead into discussions of how disrupted sphingolipid networks contribute to cancer, neurodegeneration, metabolic and inflammatory diseases, and how these pathways may be targeted therapeutically. The final session will look beyond established models, highlighting emerging concepts, methodological challenges, and open questions that may shape the future of sphingolipid research.

2025 FEBS Special Meeting on Sphingolipid Biology: Breaking Boundaries, Varna, Bulgaria

By integrating perspectives from structural biophysics, membrane biology, advanced imaging, chemical biology, lipid metabolism, and systems-level pathophysiology, the meeting aims to foster a shared conceptual framework and stimulate collaboration across disciplines that have traditionally approached sphingolipid biology from different perspectives.

Keynote lectures spanning the breadth of lipid biology

A cornerstone of the meeting program are the three keynote lectures that will function as anchor points for the larger themes of the program and will be given by prominent researchers in the lipid field:

• Ashley Cowart, Virginia Commonwealth University, USA
• Elina Ikonen, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Finland
• Joost Holthuis, Osnabrück University, Germany

Their lectures will offer complementary perspectives on sphingolipid metabolism, membrane and cellular organization, and the broader physiological and pathological relevance of lipid-mediated processes.

2025 FEBS Special Meeting on Sphingolipid Biology: Breaking Boundaries, Varna, Bulgaria

More than a series of lectures

Building on a vibrant and connected community, the FEBS Special Meetings on Sphingolipid Biology have become known not only for their scientific quality, but also for their warm, open, and highly interactive atmosphere. This distinctive combination of rigorous science, informal exchange, and lasting connections is captured in personal reflections from participants of the 2025 edition, including Breaking boundaries and making bonds and Attending a FEBS Special Meeting on sphingolipid biology.

2025 FEBS Special Meeting on Sphingolipid Biology: Breaking Boundaries, Varna, Bulgaria

The 2027 meeting will continue this tradition by bringing together established investigators and early-career researchers in an environment designed to encourage active participation and meaningful exchange.

2025 FEBS Special Meeting on Sphingolipid Biology: Breaking Boundaries, Varna, Bulgaria

The programme will include extended discussion periods, hot-topic panel discussions, “Meet the Speaker” mealtimes, a robust schedule of poster sessions, and flash presentations. These activities will give early-career researchers multiple opportunities to present their work, engage directly with leading scientists, receive constructive feedback, and contribute actively to the scientific dialogue.

Further information about the programme, invited speakers, registration, abstract submission, and support opportunities will be announced soon.

2025 FEBS Special Meeting on Sphingolipid Biology: Breaking Boundaries, Varna, Bulgaria

Science by the Atlantic

The meeting will take place at the MH Atlântico Congress Centre in Peniche, a coastal town deeply connected to the Atlantic and home to one of Portugal’s major traditional fishing ports. Surrounded by striking coastal landscapes, Peniche also faces the Berlengas Archipelago, a protected natural reserve just off the Portuguese coast. This distinctive setting will provide an inspiring backdrop for a week of scientific discovery, discussion, and community building.

photos by Portugal de Norte a Sul & Visit Center of Portugal

With conference, accommodation, and social spaces integrated within the same venue, participants will be able to move naturally between formal sessions and informal interactions, creating further opportunities for mentoring, spontaneous scientific exchange, and new collaborations.

photos by MH Hotels

Please share this post with colleagues and relevant networks and help us bring together the international scientific community in Peniche for an inspiring week at the forefront of Sphingolipid Biology!

Warm regards,

Liana Silva, Chris Clarke & Giovanni D’Angelo