Stephan Wenkel, Professor at Department of Plant Physiology and group leader at UPSC, hopes that the Nobel Symposium in September next year will create new perspectives on how to approach basic and applied research in microproteins. Photo: Mattias Pettersson, Umeå University.
In September 2026, Stephan Wenkel will lead one of two Nobel Symposia hosted at Umeå University. The symposium will focus on microproteins and their potential applications in biotechnology – a topic with relevance beyond plant science.
Microproteins are small proteins that play crucial roles in regulating biological processes. Despite their small size, they can act as powerful modulators of protein function, thereby influencing key signalling pathways. In plants, microproteins influence growth, development, and stress responses, while in biomedical research they are associated with cancer, cardiovascular, and neurodegenerative diseases, and serve as biomarkers and therapeutic targets. Understanding microproteins opens new avenues in biotechnology, from enhancing crop traits to developing novel therapeutics.
The symposium Decoding Microproteins – From Basic Biology to Biotechnological Innovations will gather international experts from plant biology, cancer biology, computational methods, protein mass spectrometry and structural biology to explore the emerging field of microproteins. Initiated by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences and the Nobel Foundation, the aim is to promote scientific dialogue in the spirit of the Nobel Prize.
“The symposium will convene a broad and interdisciplinary group of researchers whose work spans many disciplines. This diversity of expertise will enrich the discussions and inspire new perspectives on how to approach fundamental and applied research in microproteins”, says Stephan Wenkel, Professor at Department of Plant Physiology and continues:
“The Nobel Symposium in Umeå will provide an important platform to highlight advances in this emerging field and to showcase our university’s role within it. By bringing together leading researchers from some of the world’s best universities, we aim to foster new collaborations and establish Umeå as a recognised centre for microprotein research on the global stage.”
In addition to the symposium on microproteins in the field of Physiology or Medicine, Umeå University will host a second Nobel Symposium in July 2026 on metamaterials, led by Nicolò Maccaferri from the Department of Physics.
This text is based on a news article by Jakob Möbring, Umeå University.
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More information about the Nobel Symposia
For questions, please contact:
Stephan Wenkel
Umeå Plant Science Centre
Department of Plant Physiology
Umeå University
e-mail:
https://www.upsc.se/stephan_wenkel