Model organisms have long been central to scientific breakthroughs and the development of new therapies for human disease. However, as research evolves, expanding our focus to a broader range of species—each uniquely adapted to thrive in diverse environments—offers exciting new opportunities for discovery. With the increasing availability of high-quality genome assemblies, advances in genome editing technologies like CRISPR, innovations in single-cell omics, and improved methods for deriving embryonic and induced pluripotent stem cells, non-model organisms are becoming powerful tools in biomedical research. Building on the success of the previous EMBO Workshop, the upcoming meeting will spotlight how these unconventional vertebrate models are driving fresh insights into health and disease. This event will bring together international researchers working across a wide spectrum of non-traditional species to foster collaboration, share emerging technologies, and broaden the experimental toolkit available for biomedical science. Topics will include tool and method development, immunology and metabolism, reproductive health, stem cells, tissue regeneration, senescence, and aging.
