• All abstracts must be submitted electronically by the listed deadlines.
• You may submit as many abstracts as you like (but please delete incomplete abstracts that you do not plan to submit from your account).
• Nonmembers may submit abstracts without the sponsorship of a member at a higher submission rate.
• ASCB members, EMBO members, and EMBO Community members enjoy special pricing for abstract submission.
• All material must be the work of the authors listed and appropriately referenced. The submitting author must provide Conflict of Interest Disclosure information and must read and agree to the ASCB Abstract License and Publishing Agreement for ALL authors.
• All abstracts will be printed and published as they appear in the Preview Step. The meeting organizers are not responsible for and will not copyedit abstract submissions. Ensure all special characters and formatting display correctly and your author block only appears once.
• All abstract submission fees are nonrefundable.
• The abstract submission fee is separate from meeting registration.

Main

ASCB offers two presentation formats to select from—presenting an oral talk in a scientific session and presenting a poster in the exhibit hall. Presenters may choose to submit an abstract to one format or both. Presenters can also indicate their intent to submit a related manuscript to Molecular Biology of the Cell (MBoC) during abstract submission, which provides priority editorial access, recognition at Cell Bio, and eligibility for MBoC Presenter Awards.

After determining your presentation format(s), choose one of three pathways to submit your abstract within the submission site:

• Submit a Talk Only abstract
• Submit a Talk and Poster abstract
• Submit a Poster Only abstract

Note: Selecting the Talk and Poster option does not increase chances to be accepted for a talk.

Presentation Formats

Oral Presentation/Talk Options:

• Minisymposia Talk - Open to All Submitters
  Abstracts selecting Minisymposia Talk in their submission will be considered for oral presentations in the main scientific program. Minisymposia sessions offer in-depth explorations of fundamental areas within cell biology. A series of scientific research talks presenting significant findings will follow with Q&A. Talks are selected from abstract submissions. Each session concentrates on a singular research topic, reflecting core themes in the field.
• Special Interest Subgroup Talk - Invitation Only
  Abstracts selecting Special Interest Subgroup Talk in their submission must be invited to participate by the session organizer. Subgroup sessions dive deeper into an emerging scientific topic. A series of scientific research talks presenting significant findings will follow with Q&A. Talks are selected from abstract submissions. Each session concentrates on a singular research topic, reflecting core themes in the field.
• Award Talk - Invitation Only
  Abstracts selecting Award Talk in their submission must have received an official acceptance notification from ASCB.
• Keynote and Symposia Talk - Invitation Only
  Abstracts selecting Keynote and Symposia Talk in their submission must have received an official invitation from ASCB and the Program Chairs.

Poster Presentation Options:

• Traditional Poster - Standard Presentation
  Presentations held in the exhibit hall with traditional printed poster format. This format allows for direct, in-person engagement and discussion with attendees.
• Digital Poster - Enhanced Presentation + Upgrade Fee: $
  Presentations held in the exhibit hall through an interactive digital poster displayed on conference screens. This enhanced format offers increased visibility, dynamic content opportunities, and extended viewing in online poster gallery beyond scheduled sessions and after the conference. Ideal for maximizing reach and engagement with attendees.

Submission Types

• Talk Only Abstracts - Deadline: September 14
  Submitters must select this option if they only want to give a talk and do not want to present a poster presentation.
• Talk and Poster Abstracts - Deadline: September 14
  Submitters must select this option if they wish to give a talk and poster presentation.
• Poster Only Abstracts - Deadline: September 14
  Submitters must select this option if they wish to give a traditional or digital poster presentation.

Why Submit Early?

• Be eligible for early abstract recognition
• Get priority access to Meet the Editors sessions
• Qualify for MBoC presenter recognition opportunities

Content

Please be sure your abstract contains the following prior to submission:

• A sentence stating the study’s objective (unless this is provided in the title)
• A brief statement of methods, if pertinent
• A summary of the results obtained
• A statement of conclusion (it is not acceptable to state, “the results will be discussed”)

Formatting

Please follow these guidelines when formatting your abstract:

• Use a short, specific title. The title should be entered in title-style capitalization (i.e. Modeling Cytoskeletal Structures with Cytosim). Do not use a period, or place your title in quotes, use bold, or use ALL CAPS.
• DO NOT put your title or author block in the body of the abstract.
• Capitalize initial letters of trade names.
• Please do not write given or family names, titles, or abstracts in ALL CAPS.
• Use standard abbreviations for units of measure; other abbreviations should be spelled out in full at first mention, followed by the abbreviation in parentheses (exceptions: RNA, DNA, etc.).
• Please do not include tables, charts, or other figures.
• Be sure to proofread your work carefully before submission. A preview page will show up prior to finalizing payment. Please ensure your abstract and submission details are correct. It will be printed exactly as it appears in the abstract submission system.
• Special Characters and Formatting:
  • If copying from a Word document into the abstract submission system, be sure to select the icon on the menu bar that allows you to do this (it is the one that looks like the Microsoft Word Icon and has a green check box on it).
    • Once your text appears, please be sure to check “abstract preview” on the right to ensure all special characters and formatting convert properly.

Character Limit/Word Count

• The abstract text is limited to 2,400 characters, excluding spaces (<500 words). This limit includes the body of the abstract only. If your abstract exceeds this limit, you will be prompted to shorten it before being allowed to continue. There must be a minimum of 400 characters, NOT including spaces, to submit your abstract.
• The abstract title is limited to 200 characters, including spaces.
• There is no character limit for your authors or author affiliations.

Abstract Publication

All abstracts selected for presentation will be available to view online, on our virtual platform, and in a Q1 issue of Molecular Biology of the Cell.  Abstracts will be available on the Cell Bio 2026 Meeting website on or around October 1, 2026. At that time, all information is considered public.

Abstract Citation

PDF file of abstracts from the Cell Bio Meeting will be published as a supplement in the January 1, 2025, issue of Molecular Biology of the Cell.

Citation Format

Smith AB, Jones CD (2026). Abstract title. Mol. Biol. Cell 38, page # (Abstract #XXXX).

XXXX = the PRESENTATION number assigned to your abstract in early November – NOT the abstract ID number you received when you first submitted your abstract.

Page # = the page of the PDF that your abstract begins on.

View the Abstract License and Publication Agreement.

Although abstract rejection is rare, the organizers reserve the right to reject any abstract it deems inappropriate. To ensure abstract acceptance:

• Make sure your abstract includes results. Whether new findings presented in an abstract are experimental or theoretical, specific results MUST be included. The results, whether experimental or calculated, must be stated in the abstract. You are free to include your latest data in the final poster you present at the meeting, but you must include substantive results in the original abstract.
• Avoid promotion of a commercial product or service. The Abstract Program Committee tries to ensure poster sessions are not used as venues for commercial promotion. The organizers will NOT accept abstracts that promote a specific product without providing new biological insight. Statements like, “We show that X product works better than Y product” are clear indicators of promotion and will be cause for rejection. In contrast, an abstract that presents findings of interest to cell biologists, but mentions that the work was done with a proprietary and copyrighted product, and co-authors include those at the company who made the product, may be accepted.

Payment is accepted via credit card. You can pay with VISA, Mastercard, or American Express. If you are unable to pay by credit card and must pay via wire transfer, you are responsible to pay an amount that covers all fees and we must receive the wire transfer before the deadline. Therefore, please plan ahead and submit your abstract well before the deadline. 

EMBO Members and EMBO Community members should contact communications@embo.org for the discounted coupon codes if they do not have them already.

Please note that all abstract submission fees are nonrefundable. Membership is required before payment to receive the discounted member rate. Refunds will not be issued for payments made at the nonmember rate if ASCB membership is purchased afterwards.

Payment must be received in full by the published deadlines for your abstract to be considered. If you plan to pay via wire transfer, please allow sufficient time for processing: domestic wire transfers typically take 1-2 business days, while international wire transfers may take 3-5 business days. We recommend submitting your abstract early enough to ensure payment is received by ASCB by the deadline.

Editing an Abstract

You can edit author and affiliation information until November 10 by contacting abstracts@ascb.org. If you need edits made after this time, please note that we will do our best to accommodate you, but cannot guarantee edits can be made.

You can edit the title, body, and topic selections of an abstract until the submission deadline. After these dates, please contact abstracts@ascb.org to see if we can accommodate your changes since it will have to be screened again for review.

Withdrawing an Abstract

• Login to the submission site and withdraw your abstract before the abstract deadline.
• Request abstract withdrawal before peer review via email to abstracts@ascb.org by:
  • September 3 for abstracts submitted by the June 9 deadline.
  • October 8 for abstracts submitted by the August 4 deadline.
• Request abstract withdrawal via email to abstracts@ascb.org by October 28 so it does not appear in meeting publications. After this date, any withdrawn abstracts may still appear in Meeting materials including, but not limited to, the Online PDF of Abstracts, and the supplement to Molecular Biology of the Cell, but organizers will attempt to remove it from the mobile app.

Please note that not all withdrawals will be submitted in writing, as submitters may choose to withdraw directly through their portal. However, all withdrawal requests must include written confirmation that all authors have been informed and agree with the decision to withdraw.  Note: Abstracts that have been submitted successfully and paid for will not be refunded, even if they are withdrawn. The only exception to this rule is if you accidentally submitted a duplicate abstract (same exact title, text, etc.). If this happens, please contact abstracts@ascb.org immediately.