CONFERENCE REPORT
French-Italian GFPP24 and ItPS5 Joint Meeting
Aussois, France, 22 – 26 June 2025
The 24th meeting of the French Peptides and Proteins Group (GFPP), jointly organized with the 5th meeting of the Italian Peptide Society (ItPS), was held from June 22nd to 26th, 2025, at the CNRS Paul Langevin Center in Aussois, in the heart of the French Alps. This edition marked a milestone in strengthening cross-border collaboration, following the highly successful joint congress with the Belgian Peptide Group in 2022.
More than 200 participants from different European countries (most from France and Italy) attended the congress, including a large representation of PhD students and postdoctoral fellows, who accounted for nearly half of the delegates. The strong participation of early-career researchers highlighted the dynamism of the field and the attraction of the Joint Meeting for the younger generation. The official language was English, to make this event accessible to international participants. In line with tradition, the GFPP board together with the ItPS board has awarded 28 fellowships to young researchers (Ph.D. students and post-doctoral researchers) to give them the opportunity to present and discuss their research work with their peers.
The scientific program covered a broad range of topics at the interface of chemistry and biology, spanning peptide and protein synthesis, supramolecular assembly, chemical biology, structural biology, and therapeutic applications. It featured 27 oral communications, 18 flash presentations, and more than 80 posters, providing ample opportunities for discussion and visibility. The introduction of flash presentations was particularly well received, allowing young scientists to showcase their work to a broad audience.
A highlight of the meeting was the presentation of the Ernesto Scoffone Award conferred by the ItPS to Prof. Padmanabhan Balaram, in recognition of his lifelong contributions to peptide science.
The scientific program was overseen by a dedicated Scientific Committee composed of elected members of the GFPP and ItPS boards. The GFPP Board included Isabelle Segalas-Milazzo (President, COBRA, CNRS UMR 6014, Rouen), Nicolo Tonali (Vice-President, CEA Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette), Olivier Lequin (Treasurer, CNRS UMR 7203, Paris), Elisabeth Garanger (Secretary, LCPO, CNRS UMR 5629, Bordeaux), and Oleg Melnyk (French national representative at the European Peptide Society and Webmaster, CIIL, INSERM U1019 – CNRS UMR 9017, Lille), alongside industrial and academic representatives including Matthieu Giraud (CordenPharma, Switzerland), Prisca Boisguérin (PhyMedExp, Université de Montpellier), Sophie Faure (ICCF, Clermont-Ferrand), François Hallé (ICBMS, Université Claude Bernard, Lyon), Céline Landon (CNRS UPR4301, Orléans), Maud Larregola (BioCIS, Cergy-Pontoise), Baptiste Legrand (IBMM, Université de Montpellier), and Loïc Stefan (LCPM, Nancy).
The ItPS Executive Committee comprised Maria Luisa Mangoni (President, Sapienza University of Rome), Claudia Bello (Treasurer, University of Florence), Antonella Accardo (Secretary, University of Naples Federico II), Daniela Marasco (Responsible for Scientific Activities, University of Naples Federico II), and Michele Saviano (Responsible for Communication Activities and Website Manager, CNR Caserta), supported by the ItPS Scientific Committee: Walter Cabri (University of Bologna), Marta De Zotti (University of Padua), Alessandro Gori (CNR Milan), Silvia Marchesan (University of Trieste), and Mariano Venanzi (University of Rome Tor Vergata).
The Local Organizing Committee, which ensured smooth on-site operations, was co-chaired by Isabelle Segalas-Milazzo (COBRA, Rouen), Nicolo Tonali (CEA Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette), and Maria Luisa Mangoni (Sapienza University of Rome), with the assistance of Anne Cécile Van Baelen, Steven Panek, and Maud Larregola.
The symposium was further supported by a dedicated WEB team, including Oleg Melnyk (GFPP Webmaster, Lille), François Hallé (GFPP24-ItPS5 Registration Webmaster, Lyon), and Loïc Stefan (Nancy), as well as the graphic designer Violette Zgraja, a student from the École Estienne in Paris, who contributed to the visual design and scientific illustrations.
The Symposium started on Sunday evening, June 22nd, with a welcome reception and dinner, followed by the opening of the French-Italian GFPP24 and ItPS5 Joint Meeting by Isabelle Milazzo, Maria Luisa Mangoni, and Nicolo Tonali. The inaugural lecture was delivered by Prof. Florine Cavelier (IBMM, UMR 5247, CNRS, University of Montpellier, France) on “Two decades of Neurotensin research for therapeutic advances.”
From Monday, June 23rd, to Thursday, June 26th, the scientific program spanned cutting-edge themes in peptide and protein science, with ten invited lectures from leading national and international speakers and 27 oral communications selected from submitted abstracts. In addition, multiple flash poster presentations and poster sessions were organized, featuring over 40 posters each. The program included several thematic sessions introduced by plenary lectures:
- Session “Structural Biology” with Dr. Raphaël Guerois (CEA, CNRS, I2BC, University of Paris Saclay, France) discussing on peptides at the interface of complex interaction networks, and oral communications on integrating NMR with MD to study oncogenic interactions.
- Session “Chemical Biology and Bioconjugation” with Prof. Giuseppe Pappalardo (CNR, Institute of Crystallography, Italy) discussing on β-sheet breaker peptide conjugates, and oral communications on innovative peptide synthesis and bioconjugation strategies.
- Session “Protein Self-Assembly, Supramolecular Architectures, Biomaterials” with Prof. Aphrodite Kapurniotu (Technical University of Munich, Germany) presenting macrocyclic peptides as inhibitors of pathogenic amyloid self-assembly, alongside talks on peptide-based nanofibers and antimicrobial amyloid-cationic peptides, until the presentation of Prof. Claudia Tomasini (University of Bologna, Italy) regarding soft-materials from the self-assembly of ultra-short peptides.
- Session “Probes and Fluorescent Molecules for Imaging” featuring Dr. Andrey Klymchenko (University of Strasbourg, France) on fluorescent probes for biomembranes and organelles, and other talks on MRI/PET probes and cyclic peptide recognition of Aβ42 oligomers.
- Session “Peptide Design and Translational Applications” with Prof. Anna Maria Papini (University of Florence, Italy) discussing peptide-based drugs, diagnostics, and cosmetics for inspiring next-generation EU researchers.
- Session “Chemical Synthesis of Proteins and Applications” with Dr. Vincent Aucagne (Centre for Molecular Biophysics, France) on innovative tools for simplifying chemical protein synthesis.
- Session “Metallopeptides and Metalloenzymes” with Prof. Luisa Ronga (University of Pau and Pays de l’Adour, France) presenting selenopeptides and selenoproteins reactivity with metals, and talks on peptide/peptoid-based architectures for metal coordination and biomimetic functions
- Session “Bioactive and Antimicrobial Peptides: From Mechanism to Application” with Dr. Daniela Roversi on behalf of Prof. Lorenzo Stella (University of Rome Tor Vergata, Italy) on peptide interactions with live bacterial cells and Prof. Aurélie Tasiemski (CNRS, Inserm, CHU Lille, University of Lille, France) on extremophile marine organisms as models to decipher environmental adaptation of antimicrobial peptides.
- Session “Peptide Engineering and Functional Peptides in Therapeutics” concluded the symposium with Prof. Padmanabhan Balaram (National Centre for Biological Sciences, India) delivering the closing lecture on designing structurally well-defined peptides, followed by oral presentations on peptide-based nanogels and antiviral peptides.
Full details on the program and invited speakers can be found at the GFPP website:
In addition, several prizes were awarded to young investigators for the best oral, flash and poster presentations, underlining the society’s commitment to fostering the next generation of researchers. Participants widely agreed that the invited lectures, oral communications, and poster presentations were of outstanding quality, with particular recognition given to the contributions of PhD students. The selection committee was highly impressed by the overall level of the presentations and awarded prizes sponsored by Genepep, Wiley ChemBioChem, and Corden Pharma:
- Best Oral Communication Awards: Thibault Cauwenbergh (Université de Bruxelles, Belgium) and Luigi De Pascale (University of Trieste, Italy)
- Best Poster Awards: Dulce A. Quintana Romero (University of Milan and University of Catalonia), Thiis Vynckier (Université de Bruxelles, Belgium), and Lomane Berthy (CEA Saclay, France)
- Best Flash Presentation Awards: Océane Ricloux (Université de Grenoble, France) and Nicola Patrian (University of Bologna, Italy)
Besides the dense scientific program, a variety of activities and excursions were organized on Tuesday afternoon to allow participants to enjoy the natural and cultural setting of Aussois. These included hiking in the mountains, yoga sessions, alpine coaster, an introduction to rock climbing, and a guided tour of the village of Aussois. To complete the social program, a gala dinner was held on Wednesday evening. The unique setting of Aussois in the Vanoise massif created a convivial and inspiring atmosphere. Social events, including the welcome reception and gala dinner, fostered interactions among participants in a friendly environment, while the surrounding mountains offered a spectacular and memorable backdrop to discussions.
The congress was also made possible thanks to the generous support of private (Almac, Biotage, Buchi, CEM, Corden Pharma, Genepep, GenScript, Gyros Protein, Iris Biotech, SB Peptide, Vaccubrand) and public sponsors, including the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Region and the European Peptide Society, as well as the dedicated efforts of the organizing committees of both GFPP and ItPS.
Overall, the GFPP24–ItPS5 Joint Meeting successfully reinforced the longstanding tradition of GFPP meetings as a central platform for scientific excellence, while opening a new chapter of international collaboration. It confirmed once more the vitality of the peptide and protein communities and their capacity to bring together scientists of different backgrounds and generations in a spirit of exchange and innovation.
Contributed by Nicolo Tonali, Maria Luisa Mangoni and Isabelle Milazzo