CONFERENCE REPORT
17th German Peptide Symposium
Essen, Germany, 4-6 March 2026
The 17th German Peptide Symposium took place from March 4 to 6, 2026, in Essen, Germany, hosted by the Center of Medical Biotechnology at the University of Duisburg‑Essen. The meeting brought together researchers from across the peptide science community at all career stages, providing a vibrant platform for scientific exchange and networking.
As an open‑topic conference, the symposium covered the full breadth of modern peptide research, ranging from innovative synthetic strategies and advanced analytical methods to emerging applications in biomedicine, biotechnology, and materials science. The interdisciplinary nature of the program fostered dynamic discussions and encouraged the development of new collaborations.
The scientific program featured inspiring lectures by distinguished international experts, including Hans‑Dieter Arndt (Jena University, Germany), Annette Beck‑Sickinger (Leipzig University, Germany), Matthew Bogyo (Stanford University, USA), Christian Hackenberger (Leibniz Research Institute for Molecular Pharmacology, Berlin, Germany), Roman Jerala (National Institute of Chemistry, Slovenia), Maja Köhn (University of Bonn, Germany), Monique Mulder and Hermen S. Overkleeft (Leiden University, The Netherlands), Roderich Süßmuth (TU Berlin, Germany), and Loren Walensky (Dana‑Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, USA).
In addition to the lecture program, a social evening with poster sessions was held on the first evening, offering ample opportunity for in‑depth discussions, feedback, and direct interaction between established scientists and junior researchers. To recognize outstanding contributions, Marlene Maager, Ana Alcalde‑Ordonez, and Christiane Huhn were awarded the Wiley Poster Prizes, highlighting their innovative and impactful research in peptide science. To strengthen networking among participants, the second day concluded with a conference dinner at a local brewery.
The symposium was generously supported by industry sponsors and institutional partners. A donation from Evonik and sponsorship from the European Peptide Society (EPS) and the German Research Foundation (DFG) helped enrich the program. A range of companies participated as exhibitors or sponsors, enabling scientific discussions and technology showcases on site, including Advion Interchim Scientific, Bachem, BLD Pharm, Carbolution, CSBio, Gyros Protein Technologies, Iris Biotech, Merck, Numaferm, Polypeptide Group, Peptide Specialty Laboratories, Rapp Polymere, and Space Peptides Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. .
The symposium was organized by a dedicated committee consisting of Markus Kaiser (University of Duisburg‑Essen), Hans‑Dieter Arndt (Jena University), Malte Gersch (TU Dortmund University), Ute Hellmich (Jena University), and Norbert Sewald (Bielefeld University).
Overall, the 17th German Peptide Symposium provided a highly successful forum for presenting cutting‑edge research, fostering scientific dialogue, strengthening academic‑industry interaction, and celebrating emerging talent in the peptide science community.