Conference Report: Cell Biology and Mechanobiology in Mexico

ABSTRACT

We present here the summary of two cell biology‐related conferences held in Mexico in November 2024. Very broad topics were depicted, nevertheless, a focus on mechanotransduction was perceptible in the two events.

This logo, designed by Pierre‐Henri Puech for the Franco‐Mexican CNRS IRP “BioPhysImmuno” (https://biophysimmuno.wordpress.com/), uses traditional colors and graphic codes from the Mexica culture. It depicts cells, potentially tumoral, in red, exchanging information with an immune cell, in green. Their conversation, both biochemical and biophysical, is represented by a glyph (in the shape of an inverted comma) found on representations of the ancient peoples of Mexico‐Tenochtitlan and associated with someone speaking or making a decision. The logo was used for the first International Symposium on Cellular Mechanotransduction and Biomimetic Technologies that was held in the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (Mexico City) in November 2024.

1. Report on the XV International Congress of Cell Biology

The XV International Congress of Cell Biology from the International Federation of Cell Biology (IFCB) was held from November 10–14, 2024 in Cancun, Quintana Roo, Mexico. This was the first time it was held in Mexico.

It was attended by researchers and students from 19 different countries. There were four plenary conferences and 19 symposia, as well as daily poster sessions. The companies ThermoFisher, Jeol, and Micra Nanotechnology and the National Laboratory of Biomimetic Solutions for Diagnostics and Therapy (LANSBIODYT) participated.

The congress program and abstract book, with 97 pages, were published online (available at https://iccb2024.fciencias.unam.mx/). The symposia included 81 invited speakers. In addition, a special symposium was held for students and postdoctoral fellows to present their work orally. A total of 44 posters were exhibited in two sessions. The website and full program can be accessed here: https://iccb2024.fciencias.unam.mx/.

It was held at the Convention Center of the Grand Oasis Cancun Hotel. Support was provided to all students, either with registration, lodging, or daily admission to the congress through a day pass. Funding was provided by the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) through the General Secretariat and the Secretariat of Institutional Development, the Instituto Politécnico Nacional (IPN, https://www.ipn.mx/) Center for Research and Advanced Studies (CINVESTAV, https://www.cinvestav.mx/) and the IFCB. Universidad Anáhuac, Cancún campus, also collaborated.

The plenary lectures were given by renowned scientists in the field of Cell Biology such as William Earnshaw from the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, Wanderley de Souza from the State University of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, Marco Igor Valencia from UNAM in Mexico and Noni Franklin‐Tong from the University of Birmingham in England.

The Société de Biologie Cellulaire de France (SBCF, https://sbcf.fr/) was represented by two members of the Laboratoire Adhésion et Inflammation (LAI, INSERM U1067/CNRS UMR 7333/AMU U61, Marseille, France), Laurent Limozin and Pierre‐Henri Puech, who gave two invited talks about immune cell biophysics. Both are members of «BioPhysImmuno» CNRS International Research Program, which aims to study cellular biophysics at different spatial and temporal scales, applied to cells involved in the interaction mechanisms between immune cells and their partner cells or targets, such as cancer cells.

The congress was the forum for the announcement of the next edition which will be the XV International Congress of Cell Biology in the city of Hefei, China, to be organized by the Chinese Society of Cell Biology and the Asia Pacific Organization of Cell Biology (APOCB), in 2025.

2. Report on the First International Symposium on Cellular Mechanotransduction and Biomimetic Technologies

Under the motto that science is built on collective knowledge and experience exchange, the First International Symposium on Cellular Mechanotransduction and Biomimetic Technologies was held from November 19th to 22nd, 2024 at the Faculty of Sciences of the UNAM, in Ciudad Universitaria, Mexico City. The event was organized by the Laboratorio Nacional de Soluciones Biomiméticas para Diagnóstico y Terapia (LANSBIODYT) in collaboration with the Laboratoire d'Adhésion et d'Inflammation (LAI) of the CNRS / Inserm / AMU (France).

The symposium brought together world‐renowned researchers from Mexico, France (Paris, Strasbourg), the USA (Berkeley, Stanford), Canada and the Netherlands, and addressed major scientific advances in cell mechanobiology and the development of biomimetic platforms. A total of 15 theoretical lectures open to the public, complemented by practical workshops, combined academic reflection with experimental learning. These workshops, hosted in the LANSBIODYT laboratories, offered participants the opportunity to explore microfluidics and biomimetic technologies. The full program can be found on the LANSBIODYT official website: https://www.LANSBIODYT.unam.mx/src/img/eventos/2024/ISCMEBIT‐2024.pdf

Of note, the event was set as a hybrid event, being live broadcast on Youtube and recorded. The videos are on the channel of the LANSBIODYT, in the streaming section: https://www.youtube.com/@LANSBIODYT‐wm7qq

At the opening, Victor Manuel Velázquez Aguilar, Director of the Faculty of Science, welcomed the participation of leading figures in interdisciplinary science and stressed the importance of this event for students, declaring: “This faculty is proud to host speakers who share their knowledge with our students. Mechanotransduction, which examines what happens inside cells in the face of physical or chemical stimuli, is one of the most exciting disciplines of our time.”

The importance of international exchanges was at the heart of the event, as explained by Tatiana Fiordelisio‐Coll, head of LANSBIODYT. In collaboration with the CNRS, she has initiated projects such as the International Research Project (IRP) focusing on mechanotransduction in the immune system, enabling Mexican students to work in French laboratories: “Science is a collective undertaking. Thanks to these partnerships, we are opening doors for students and encouraging interdisciplinary collaborations to advance biomedical research.”

For his part, Inserm researcher Pierre‐Henri Puech, coordinator of the IRP, hailed the progress made since the collaboration began in 2017, noting that: “This symposium embodies a dynamic community uniting strengths and perspectives to tackle complex challenges.”

Discussions showed how scientific disciplines converge to better understand mechanotransduction. Dr. Raúl Caudillo Viurquez, Liaison Secretary at the Faculty of Science, pointed out that: “Physics explains interactions, chemistry explores communication channels, and biology directs this understanding towards functional responses. This knowledge is then used by medicine and engineering to create biomimetic solutions.”

The event highlighted key topics such as the impact of mechanical stimuli on cells, the creation of organ‐on‐a‐chip systems, and the development of innovative biomaterials for therapeutics and regenerative medicine.

The symposium not only consolidated existing collaborations, but also served as a platform to inspire young researchers. With an audience of 80 students and professionals, it opened up perspectives for future projects in fields such as immunology, neuroscience, and biotechnology.

The afternoons were dedicated to lively poster sessions by the attendees and hand‐on and at the bench demos (of microfabrication, microfluidics, droplet generation, microscopy imaging,…) by the staff working at the LANSBIODYT, directed towards a public composed of local researchers and students who benefited greatly from these sessions. This transmission was really appreciated and attracted a lot of young researchers who “opened their mind” on different methodologies or angles that could be applied to their own topics, from what they reported in the survey and in discussions.

True to its multidisciplinary mission, this very lively and dynamic event demonstrated how joint efforts can lead to innovations capable of addressing fundamental biological questions and pressing clinical needs. Through this first ever conference, the Franco‐Mexican collaboration asserts itself as a key player in the development of open and collaborative scientific research, and a second event is expected to take place in the near future, hopefully in the fall 2025.

Fioderlisio‐Coll, T. , Sengupta, K. , Hautefeuille, M. , Limozin, L. , & Puech, P.‐H. (2025) Conference report: Cell biology and mechanobiology in Mexico. Biology of the Cell, 117, 00–00. 10.1111/boc.12006