3 March 2026
Giersch conference started
Kick-off of SCALE Cluster of Excellence
On Monday, the 2026 Giersch Conference started at FIAS, which also marks the kick-off event for the SCALE Cluster of Excellence. The motto: “Towards digital twins for structural cell biology – criteria, chances, and challenges.”
Michaela Müller-McNicoll opened the conference as spokesperson together with FIAS Fellow Sebastian Thallmair. In his welcoming address, Bernhard Brüne, Vice President of Goethe University, praised SCALE as a “flagship in a unique environment with great partners.” FIAS Director Jan Wörner referred to the institute's new motto, “biologically inspired computation,” which he said fits perfectly with SCALE's goals.
Dagmar Iber from ETH Zurich opened the series of lectures with an exciting insight into digital twins of the female hormone cycle, lung development, and bladder cancer development. Max Bonomi from the Institut Pasteur described integrative structural biology in the age of artificial intelligence, using as an example the enzyme glutamine synthetase.
The coming days will be devoted to various types of digital twins, such as subcellular segments, multicellular and neural systems. FIAS welcomes all participants and looks forward to an exciting, creative, and constructive conference.
