Last week, Emmanuel Nivet and four members of the team 6 — Ivan Fernandez-Bessone, Raphaël Touron, Nicolas Vermeersch, and Sarah Pyrtek — had the opportunity to attend the European Glia Meeting here in Marseille. It was a very insightful conference, packed with excellent talks and workshops, as well as poster sessions at which our team members presented their ongoing work at the lab. 

The conference brought together leading scientists in the field of glial biology, offering a valuable chance to exchange ideas, compare approaches, and gain new perspectives on both technical methods and glial mechanisms.

Key topics that resonated with our research included glia-enriched organoids, modeling the role of astrocytes and oligodendrocytes in neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration using iPSC based models, and more generally glial interactions in health and disease. It was enriching to see how our work aligns — and at times contrasts — with the broader glial research community. These discussions sparked new ideas around experimental approaches and methodology.

We also found great value in exploring areas just outside our immediate expertise. Sessions on the role of lipids in immune function and neurodegenerative disease, astrocyte-neuron metabolism, and the spreading of protein aggregates and other compounds between glia cells and neurons through microtubules and extracellular vesicles offered fresh perspectives that we’re excited to bring back to the lab.We’re grateful for the opportunity to connect with peers and leaders in the field — and we return inspired, with new questions, collaborations, and directions for our work.