Aberystwyth to Host International Meeting on Myxobacteria Biology.

Myxobacteria are fascinating bacteria. They produce a wide range of medicinal compounds and when starved, they group together and coordinate their behaviour to construct large multicellular structures. An international community of researchers study myxobacteria biology, and they also group together and coordinate their behaviour, at the annual myxobacteria conference, known informally as the Myxo Meeting.

This year the Myxo Meeting will be held at the University in Aberystwyth, hosted by the myxobacteria research group based in the Department of Life Sciences. The six PhD students who comprise the group are playing a pivotal role in organising the conference, which is particularly focused on early career myxobacteriologists.

To ensure the conference attracts researchers from the world over, the students undertook a comprehensive search of the scientific literature, identifying every group in the world publishing myxobacteria research and inviting them directly to the Myxo Meeting. They also helped apply for grants to reduce the cost of registration for early career researchers, successfully convincing FEMS and the Company of Biologists to generously support the conference. Team members also organised a website for the meeting and an online shop for delegates to register for the meeting.

The 51st annual Myxo Meeting will be held at the beginning of June, and we’re very much looking forward to talking about myxobacteria for three days with colleagues from around the globe. Details on registration can be found here: https://wp-research.aber.ac.uk/myxomeeting-2026/