Events

The Hertha Sponer College Lecture Series is addressed to interested students, PhD candidates, postdocs, and PIs. The overall idea is to fundamentally explain research by providing an overview about the general aims of the six MBExC Research Alliances with special focus on the specific techniques that are developed and applied. The lectures take place on Tuesdays at 5 pm within the semester term, and are offered by MBExC PIs. Subsequent to lecture and discussion, Hertha Sponer College members have the opportunity to “Meet-the-PI” and each other for asking more specific or general questions, networking and socializing.

Please find here the PDF of the announcement:

Professor Toshiya Endo, PhD from the Faculty of Life Sciences, Kyoto Sangyo University, Japan will held a talk about “Pathways and machineries for mitochondrial biogenesis and maintenance” during the MBExC Lecture on 17 September, 2026 at 4:00 p.m. in the Lecture Hall 0.101, Humboldtallee 23.

Abstract:
Mitochondria are central to energy production, metabolism, signaling, and cellular homeostasis in eukaryotic cells. Because mitochondria cannot be generated de novo, they are propagated through growth and division of pre-existing mitochondria. Since most mitochondrial proteins and lipids are supplied from outside mitochondria, mitochondrial expansion requires the continuous supply of newly synthesized proteins and lipids, mediated by protein translocators and the lipid transfer systems, respectively.
In contrast, a limited set of proteins is encoded by the mitochondrial genome and synthesized within mitochondria, while certain lipids, including cardiolipin and
phosphatidylethanolamine, are synthesized within mitochondria for imported precursors. Thus, the coordinated assembly of mitochondrial proteins and lipids produced both within and outside mitochondria is essential for mitochondrial biogenesis and proliferation.
To maintain mitochondrial function, mitochondrial proteins are constantly monitored for their quality, and dysfunctional or mislocalized mitochondrial proteins are properly recognized and eliminated or rerouted. These quality control systems include recently identified protein extractases operating in mitochondria, the ER, and peroxisomes, which contribute to maintaining proper protein distribution among organelles. Recent studies have also revealed roles for mitochondrial RNA import and the escape of mitochondrial DNA from mitochondria in mitochondrial proteostasis and cellular homeostasis.
In this seminar, I will present and discuss recent findings from our lab on these topics, with a particular focus on how the trafficking of proteins lipids, and nucleic acid contributes to mitochondrial biogenesis, quality control, and cellular homeostasis.

Host: Prof. Dr. Peter Rehling, University Medical Center Göttingen

Poster of the talk:

Internal Event of the Hertha Sponer College (registration required)

Hertha Sponer College Retreat 2026

Friday, 25 September 2026, 10 a.m. – 3.30 p.m., Alte Mensa, Am Wilhelmsplatz
Scientific talks, flash talks, poster session

MBExC Symposium “Bioimaging Across Scales”

Date: Monday, 28th September 2026 and Tuesday, 29th September 2026

Location: Alte Mensa, Wilhelmsplatz, Göttingen

Organizer: MBExC

We are delighted to invite you to the MBExC Symposium “Bioimaging Across Scales,” taking place on 28–29 September 2026 at the Alte Mensa, Wilhelmsplatz 3, Göttingen.

The symposium marks the culmination of eight years of research within our Cluster of Excellence “Multiscale Bioimaging: from Molecular Machines to Networks of Excitable Cells” (MBExC). It will showcase the cluster’s scientific achievements and provide an outlook on future directions in multiscale bioimaging and interdisciplinary life science research.

A particular highlight will be the keynote lecture by Axel Brunger (Stanford Medicine), entitled “Towards Molecular Imaging of Synapses by Cryo-Electron Tomography.” The programme will also feature contributions from leading experts from Germany and abroad, including Anna Bulankina (Heidelberg University Biochemistry Center), Irina Dudanova (University of Würzburg), Annalisa Marsico (Helmholtz Munich), Kate McDole and Michal Minczuk (MRC, Cambridge), Eva Rog-Zielinska (University Heart Center Freiburg), and Luis Fernando Santana (UC Davis Health, University of California).

We warmly invite you to join us and kindly ask you to register by 31 August 2026. The full programme and registration are available at:

https://mbexc.de/mbexc-symposium-2026/

We very much look forward to welcoming you to the symposium.

The Hertha Sponer College Lecture Series is addressed to interested students, PhD candidates, postdocs, and PIs. The overall idea is to fundamentally explain research by providing an overview about the general aims of the six MBExC Research Alliances with special focus on the specific techniques that are developed and applied. The lectures take place on Tuesdays at 5 pm within the semester term, and are offered by MBExC PIs. Subsequent to lecture and discussion, Hertha Sponer College members have the opportunity to “Meet-the-PI” and each other for asking more specific or general questions, networking and socializing.

The Hertha Sponer College Lecture Series is addressed to interested students, PhD candidates, postdocs, and PIs. The overall idea is to fundamentally explain research by providing an overview about the general aims of the six MBExC Research Alliances with special focus on the specific techniques that are developed and applied. The lectures take place on Tuesdays at 5 pm within the semester term, and are offered by MBExC PIs. Subsequent to lecture and discussion, Hertha Sponer College members have the opportunity to “Meet-the-PI” and each other for asking more specific or general questions, networking and socializing.

Internal event of the Hertha Sponer College (registration required)

Hertha Sponer College Career Day 2026

Date: Tuedsay, 08 December 2026 
Venue: Max Planck Institute of Multidisciplinary Sciences, City Campus, Hermann-Rein-Str. 3, 37075 Göttingen

Programm:
– Career Development Talks role models from academia, industry, clinics, science communication
– HSC Lecture with Felipe Opazo, UMG & NanoTagBiotechnologies
– HSC X-mas party

The Hertha Sponer College Lecture Series is addressed to interested students, PhD candidates, postdocs, and PIs. The overall idea is to fundamentally explain research by providing an overview about the general aims of the six MBExC Research Alliances with special focus on the specific techniques that are developed and applied. The lectures take place on Tuesdays at 5 pm within the semester term, and are offered by MBExC PIs. Subsequent to lecture and discussion, Hertha Sponer College members have the opportunity to “Meet-the-PI” and each other for asking more specific or general questions, networking and socializing.