From June 15 to 19, 2026, IBMP will host the ViroiDoc Days, an event organized by Laura Elvira-Gonzalez and Manfred Heinlein within the framework of the European ViroiDoc project, funded by the Horizon Europe Marie Skłodowska-Curie Doctoral Networks programme.
ViroiDoc is dedicated to the study of viroids, small RNA pathogens that threaten numerous crops of agronomic importance. The consortium brings together academic and industrial partners across Europe and provides advanced training to ten doctoral candidates working on viroid biology, detection methods, and the development of innovative solutions for sustainable agriculture.
Throughout the week, doctoral candidates and invited researchers from across Europe will showcase their research through oral presentations and poster sessions. The doctoral candidates will also benefit from specialized training in microscopy and Nanopore sequencing. The programme additionally includes participation in the StrasRNA Salon on June 18 and a visit to BioReba, a company specializing in plant pathogen diagnostics.
The oral presentations scheduled for June 15 and 17 will be open to IBMP members, who are also invited to visit the poster sessions and learn more about the individual research projects carried out within the ViroiDoc network.
Hosting this event in Strasbourg highlights IBMP’s active involvement in European research and training networks dedicated to plant biology, RNA biology, and host–pathogen interactions.
Monday, June 15
10:00 – 10:45
Exogenous RNA applications reveal novel aspects of sRNA processing in crop plants
Veli Vural Uslu (University of Regensburg)
11:00 – 11:45
Microscopy methods
Mathieu Erhardt and Jérôme Mutterer
11:45 – 12:30
AI methods for image analysis
Sébastien Herbert (IGBMC)
Wednesday, June 17
11:30 – 12:15
Viroid identification using classical and new technologies
Beatriz Navarro (online, CNR-Bari)
12:15 – 13:00
Introducing the gender dimension in research content
Charoula Tzanakou (online, Oxford Brookes University)
14:00 – 14:45
Nanopore technology
Todd Blevins
14:45 – 15:30
Nanopore sequencing reveals viroid species-specific replication intermediates in hop
Jernej Jakše (University of Ljubljana)
