27th Heart of Europe Bio-Crystallography Meeting

The 27th Heart of Europe Bio-Crystallography (HEC-27) Meeting was held from 25 to 27 September 2025 in the picturesque town of Halberstadt, Germany, hosted by Markus Wahl and his team (Carl Helmer, Stephanie Himpich, Nicole Holton, Bernhard Loll, and Rosa Teijeiro Juiz) from Freie Universität Berlin. The meeting brought together nearly 120 structural biologists from Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany and Poland, continuing a long-standing tradition of fostering collaboration and knowledge exchange within Central Europe’s crystallographic community.

The three-day program featured 26 regular scientific talks, 13 flash presentations, and six sponsor lectures, covering a broad spectrum of contemporary structural biology — from nucleic acid–protein complexes and molecular machines to enzymology, drug design and cryo-EM methods. Two new groups — Agnieszka Kiliszek (Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences, Poznań) and Petra Wendler (University of Potsdam) — were welcomed into the HEC community through introductory lectures highlighting their research on RNA structure and molecular machines, respectively.

Complementary sessions on science communication and scientific publishing added a broader perspective to the scientific core of the meeting. Claire Murray (Berlin) contributed a lecture and an interactive workshop highlighting new ways to engage the public with crystallography, while Kruna Vukmirovic (IUCr Journals) provided practical insights into publishing with the IUCr. The meeting benefited from the generous support of academic and industrial sponsors, who contributed presentations and demonstrations showcasing recent advances in structural biology and biophysical instrumentation.

A highlight of the meeting was the HEC Lecture, delivered by Tobias Beck (University of Hamburg), who presented a captivating overview of his research on protein nanocages, crystalline biohybrids, and protein–nanoparticle superlattices. His lecture underscored the creative interfaces between structural biology, nanoscience, and materials design.

The scientific sessions covered a wide range of topics across modern structural biology, from fundamental molecular mechanisms to emerging methods and biomedical applications. The traditional HEC Prizes were awarded to Burak Yilmaz (Freie Universität Berlin) for the best scientific talk and Stephanie Himpich (Freie Universität Berlin) for the best flash presentation. Awards for the best talk and best flash presentation celebrated the excellence and enthusiasm of early-career researchers.

A well-balanced social program — featuring a hike through the scenic Harz region, a morning jog, and informal evening gatherings at the HEC-27 bar including a scientific pub quiz — provided ample opportunities for networking among participants and reinforced the collaborative spirit that defines the HEC community. An additional highlight was the opportunity to experience a cryotherapy chamber, where a few brave participants tested their endurance at –87°C.

The next meeting, HEC-28, will be held from 23 to 25 September 2026 at the OREA Resort Panorama in Blansko, Czech Republic, hosted by Cyril Bařinka and colleagues. We look forward to welcoming the HEC community to another inspiring edition of the Heart of Europe Bio-Crystallography Meeting!