From 13 to 16 April, Belfast’s ICC hosted the Microbiology Society Annual Conference 2026, one of the most significant gatherings in the UK microbiology calendar. It brought together researchers, early-career scientists, and industry voices across four days of symposia, workshops, and prize lectures. PRISM-LT was there.

David Mark, a postdoctoral research associate in the Roe Lab at the University of Glasgow, presented the project at the conference and also contributed as a chair and co-organiser. He co-organised and co-chaired the symposium “Engineering (Micro)biology: Reprogramming Microbes Towards Global Solutions”, which brought together researchers working on tools to redesign living microorganisms for applications ranging from drug discovery to industrial biotechnology.

‘Wee coli’: presenting PRISM-LT science on the main stage

David also presented his own work within the PRISM-LT platform, titled “Wee Coli: Minicells for Incorporation into Engineered Living Materials”. The talk introduced minicells—tiny, DNA-free bacterial cells—as a promising solution to one of the central challenges in engineered living materials: preventing bacteria from outcompeting the mammalian cells they are designed to support. David explained how these minicells can accumulate and display growth factors, be incorporated into biocompatible capsules, and guide stem cell differentiation.

It was a real pleasure to present my work on helper cell development as part of PRISM-LT at Belfast this year as part of the Microbiology Society’s Annual Conference. I talked about how growth factor expressing E. coli minicells can be used to guide stem cell differentiation without outcompeting the cells in coculture. Minicells are kind of like seedless fruit — all of the good stuff but totally incapable of reproduction. They’re a rapidly developing field in biotech and I think the only limit to their use is creativity.

For David, the conference was also about community: helping with the Early Career Forum’s social, witnessing colleagues from the University of Glasgow’s School of Infection & Immunity present their work, and seeing the breadth of engineering biology research flourishing across the UK.

The Annual Conference is always abuzz with the latest developments in the field and a great opportunity to network with fellow researchers across career stages and disciplines, and I’ve come away with some exciting new ideas and opportunities to translate to my work in PRISM-LT. It was also really nice to showcase results from a visit to consortium members based in Aveiro and highlight the value of international collaboration and knowledge exchange.